Helping prisoners to become better parents

An innovative scheme in Scotland is helping dads in prison become better parents. Myra Anubi visits Barlinnie jail in Glasgow to meet the prisoners taking part. First they are taught parenting skills and then their children are brought into the jail for sessions of active physical play. Supporters of the programme say it is not just about benefits for prisoners - it is helping to create strong family bonds which might then reduce rates of reoffending. It is based on a successful scheme in Australia called Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids. This was set up to get people fit and tackle high levels of obesity in the wider population. We talk to the founder who explains how it has improved the lives of hundreds of fathers and their families. People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider. Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: Richard Kenny Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Annie Gardiner (Image: Prisoners and their children at Barlinnie prison in Scotland, Scottish Prison Service)

You can listen to Helping prisoners to become better parents online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Helping prisoners to become better parents is an episode from People Fixing The World by BBC.

This episode is 23:25 long.

This episode was published on Jan 27, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from People Fixing The World when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.