By Charlene Gatt
JAMIELEE Chater’s earliest childhood memory is of a mum hooked on drugs and a dad always on the wrong side of the law.
Unfortunately for Ms Chater, things were set to get much worse.
It all came to a head one day when she was 12 and her dad got a letter, telling him to go to the police station.
“He went immediately, leaving me and my younger sister home alone. About an hour later, a neighbour came to tell us that she received a phone call telling her my dad had been sent to jail,” Ms Chater said.
It was the start of a nightmare about 12,000 Victorian children experience every year, having a parent in jail.
To make problems worse, Ms Chater’s mother had abandoned the family years before.
“I could not do anything but cry, my life and my younger sister’s life was turned upside down,” she said.
“Where would I live, who would look after me, who could I turn to? I was scared of people finding out where my dad was and judging me because of his mistakes.”
Luckily, Ms Chater’s grandparents took her and her sister in and encouraged them to visit their father.
Her grandmother also signed Ms Chater and her sister up for SHINE for Kids – a not-for-profit organisation that provides support for kids with parents in jail – which Ms Chater is now involved with.
SHINE was founded in New South Wales in 1982 and encourages contact with the jailed parent and provides mentors for the kids to discourage kids from following in their parent’s footsteps.
SHINE set up shop in Victoria last year with an office in Footscray.
SHINE is always looking for more volunteers. To find out more, call 9687 5200.
