ST. PETER — A new grant from the Minnesota Department of Health will allow the Nicollet County Jail to offer inmates parenting skills classes.
The $130,000 two-year grant aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children and families impacted by parental incarceration, said Nicollet County Health and Human Services Director Cassandra Sassenberg.
“Having a parent become incarcerated can be a traumatic experience for a child at any age, so we hope that this program can help lessen that impact by helping parents continue to parent while they’re incarcerated,” she said.
The programming helps incarcerated parents maintain contact with their children, build and maintain family connections, build on existing strengths and develop new skills and learn about additional resources.
As part of the grant, Sassenberg said a team made up of staff from Health and Human Services as well as from the sheriff’s office will do a handful of things.
First, they’ll actively participate in what’s called the Minnesota Expanding Model Jail Practices Learning Community, a group consisting of jails from around the state.
“(The team will) implement model jail practices and programs to support children of incarcerated parents and families,” Sassenberg said.
The team will also utilize the Parenting Inside Out curriculum.
“That is an evidence-based parenting program that focuses on decision making and problem solving,” she said.
“It’s also meant to address challenges that are uniquely faced by criminal justice-involved parents and families.”
Through the grant, the jail will host volunteer parenting skills classes for incarcerated parents.
There will also be a family-based services provider on the team who will offer follow-up community-based parenting skills groups for those who want to continue programming after they’re discharged.
Sassenberg also hopes the jail will improve their space so they can facilitate more kid-friendly visiting opportunities.
Registered nurse Kate Albrecht will be administering the classes.
She said it’s essentially a cognitive behavioral parenting skills training program.
“Topics are going to be communications skills, problem solving, emotional regulation, non-violent discipline techniques, positive reinforcement and education on child development,” she said.
The class will take place over the course of 12 two-hour sessions.
“I think what we’re going to do is one class per week just to start out and see how that goes,” Albrecht said.