I am a parenting support worker for Barnardo's Northern Ireland, supporting families affected by parental imprisonment. I understand the importance of maintaining family links when a parent is in prison, so my Fellowship took me to different prisons in mainland Europe to explore their visiting arrangements for children and the organisations and charities which supported children and families affected by parental imprisonment. My Fellowship was enlightening, opening up a world of possibilities for me to bring home to my own job role in Northern Ireland's prisons.

As a result of my Fellowship and additional money awarded to me upon completion of my Fellow's Report, I developed resources and tools which are used by children and families visiting prisons in Northern Ireland. These resources help a child acknowledge, explore and understand their feelings around visiting a family member, help a child feel at ease with visiting and security arrangements and provide a simple tool to allow families to talk about parental imprisonment. My Fellowship was an amazing experience, personally and professionally, and I continue to learn and grow from those experiences today.