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Children and Parenthood in the Shadow of Prison

Support and Services for Prisoner’s Families

News from the VaVa Project

Photo: Unsplash, Steve Shreve

As summer approaches, we want to thank everyone who has followed and supported the VaVa Project throughout the spring. We’re now heading into a slower season, but we’ll return in the autumn with new activities, insights, and research updates. In the meantime, here are some highlights from our recent work and a reminder of our ongoing commitment to thoughtful, human-centered research.

Supporting Families Affected by Parental Incarceration – Online Info Session on Services

Organisers and presenters
In the photo (from left to right): Riitta Pääkkönen (Pirha), Essi Julin (VaVa), Jenni Repo (VaVa), Rosi Enroos (VaVa), Anne-Mari Mäkiniemi (Federation of Tampere Evangelical Lutheran Parishes), Anastasia Lapintie (RETS), and Ulrika Järvinen (RETS).

On May 8, 2025, the VaVa Project hosted an online information session on services available to children and families affected by parental incarceration in the Pirkanmaa region. The event featured presentations from Life without crime Foundation (RETS), the Federation of Tampere Evangelical Lutheran Parishes, Kris-Tampere (a peer support organization for people with substance use and criminal backgrounds), and the Pirkanmaa Wellbeing Services County (Pirha).

The session is available for viewing on our Finnish website (link).

VaVa Project at the 2025 Social Work Research Conference

VaVa reserachers
VaVa research group in the photo (from left to right): Essi Julin, Rosi Enroos and Jenni Repo.

Researchers from the VaVa Project participated in the national Social Work Research Conference held at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi on May 15–16, 2025. The theme of the conference was Social Work in the Face of Vulnerability. Our team organized a two-day working group focused on children and families living in vulnerable and often invisible circumstances, such as those affected by incarceration.

The titles of the presentations from the VaVa Project were:

  • Parental Incarceration from the Perspectives of Children and Caregiving Adults
  • Using Vignettes to Explore the Situations of Children Living in the Shadow of Prison – An Institutional Perspective

We thank all participants and the organizers for an inspiring and successful event!

Our Commitment to Slow Science

The VaVa Project is committed to the principles of Slow Science. We believe that meaningful research requires time, reflection, and collaboration. We strive to create working conditions that support thoughtful inquiry.  Our approach emphasizes quality over quantity, researcher well-being, and a deep engagement with complex social issues. You can read more about our commitment in the Aim and Research Environment section of this website.