Speakers
Russell Massie
Russ is a serving police officer and the Thames Valley Police (TVP) and Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit (TVVRU) Tactical Lead for Child Centred Policing.
Russ believes that children should be supported to succeed on their own merits and not be hindered by their circumstances or the actions of the adults in their lives. He has developed Operation Paramount, the UK’s first programme to recognise and support children affected by parental imprisonment through innovative use of shared statutory data.
In 2018 Russ obtained his Master’s Degree, graduating with an MSc in Policing, Policy and Leadership and he is a regular guest lecturer at the University of Sheffield. He is a Director of a Multi Academy Trust of primary schools in Oxfordshire and London and believes that quality schools policing plays a key role in the safety and wellbeing of students.
Title: Children of parents in prison
In 2021 there were over 61,000 Labradors registered as pets in the United Kingdom, but we have no clue how many children had a parent sent to prison. Parental imprisonment is a recognised Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) but both the prevalence and impact of it are widely misunderstood.
Whilst exploring the prevalence of other recorded childhood traumas captured in police data, officers from the Thames Valley recognised that prison release data is accessible to police to help with offender management. It was this recognition that led to Operation Paramount: HMPPS receptions data shared securely and compared to police and other partnership indexes to identify where children are affected by parental imprisonment and offer their families support at the time when they need it the most.
Operation Paramount is now live across the Thames Valley, Cardiff and North Birmingham and is due to roll out in other police areas this year. Sgt Russ Massie will discuss the project, including learning and feasibility for further roll out.