<< Background >>Despite the significant developments made in the Criminal Justice System field (CJS), namely investing in offenders' social reintegration programmes during detention or community measures, little attention has been paid to prisoners' families and their needs during the re-entry process. The incarceration experience represents economic, social and psychological impacts for the families of the prisoners. The prisoners’ families are among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations in society, experiencing multidimensional and intersectional forms of inequality (Western and Pettit, 2010). Given that, many of the consequences on prisoners’ families can be alleviated by some moderators. Two of these moderators are the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), i.e., the support from civil society and the welfare policies and social services (Condry & Smith, 2018). These NGOs, enterprises and social services have a diverse range of goods and services that are provided to families that are crucial for the family support and wellbeing. The problem is that most of the time CJS' families lack awareness on where and how to look for the right support.One strategy to decrease the impacts of incarceration on offenders’ families is to create new ways to support the prisoners’ families coping with incarceration. Civil society organisations that offer services to families with incarcerated individuals and during the re-entry process - must obviously be part of any comprehensive crime prevention strategy.<< Objectives >>UpFamilies’ aims are to provide to prisoners’ families a compendium of existing services available (from local to national) that can support them cope with imprisonment impacts. The services’ up-to-date information will be made available using a mobile application. At the same time, we intend to create awareness on the importance of capacity building of the organisations that daily work with these families so they can be better prepared for their unique needs. Our main focus is to build social capital by reinforcing the role community organisations play in the social inclusion of both these specific families and prisoners upon release and training them for excellence.To do that, several objectives were created, such as:Obj1: By September 2022, to develop a roadmap on existing programs/services that better meet the needs of prisoners’ familiesObj2: By May 2024, to make available a mobile platform with existing services/programs available for prisoners’ families, to be validated through 5 pilots, involving at least 100 prisoners’ families. Obj3: By October 2024, to increase the number of prisoners’ families that use the mobile application , fighting against info-exclusion, downloading on average 100 times the mobile platform. Obj4: By July 2022, to create a network of institutions/professionals that work with prisoners’ families, promoting alliances and cooperation between allObj5: By October 2022, to create promotion of good practices regarding the already available services to provide support to prisoners’ families, organizing 5 stakeholders consultation that should involve 30 CJS professionalsObj 6: By August 2023, to improve the services provided to prisoners’ families, conducting 5 pilots with 40 community organizationsObj7: By November 2023, to create society awareness and citizenship on the needs of CJS’ families, making available a training manual to mobilize community capacity to provide informal support and assistance to prisoners’ families<< Implementation >>For 3 years, partners expect to perform the following main activities/ involve the following number of participants in the project:Create a Resource guide framework to conduct the mappingCreate a Network of institutions/professionals to support prisoners’ familiesDevelop a roadmap on existing programs/services that better meet the needs of prisoners’ familiesDevelop the UpFamilies APP (ENG, SP, PT, RO, GR, GE), that will be piloted with 100 prisoners’ familiesInvolve 30 stakeholders in the consultation for the training course on providing informal support and assistance to prisoners’ familiesCreate a Multimedia Training course on providing informal support and assistance to prisoners’ families5 Training courses on providing informal support and assistance to prisoners’ families (available in ENG, SP, PT, RO, GR, GE), that will be piloted with 40 Community OrganisationsCreate a Training Manual to mobilize community capacity to provide informal support and assistance to prisoners’ families (ENG, SP, PT, RO, GR, GE)<< Results >>The following results are expect during and on the completion of UpFamilies project: (1) During the projectA - TANGIBLE INDICATORS_6 bilateral agreements_1 project' gantt chart_3 Action Plan (for each Project Result strategic implementation)_project presentation (PPT) (ENG version + SP; RO; PT; GR; GE)_ 1 Resource guide framework to conduct the mapping_1 Roadmap on existing programs/services that better meet the needs of families with incarcerated members (ENG version + SP; RO; PT; GR; GE)_1 Network of institutions/professionals to support prisoners’ families_APP Architecture and blueprint: technical document for a mobile application (ENG)Training Manual to mobilize community capacity to provide informal support and assistance to prisoners’ families_1 APP “UpFamilies” (available in ENG; SP; RO; PT; GR; GE)_1 Report on the APP’ piloting experience (ENG)_ 1 Guidelines on stakeholders’ consultation_ 1 Multimedia Training course on providing informal support and assistance to prisoners’ families (ENG + SP; RO; PT; GR; GE)_ 1 Training Manual to mobilize community capacity to provide informal support and assistance to prisoners’ families (ENG + SP; RO; PT; GR; GE)_ 5 pilots + 5 pilot reports (ENG)_3 project meetings + 3 project meeting minutes_7 Multiplier Events + 7 reports (ENG)_1 Learning/Teaching/Training Activities _1 project website_1 Implementation Plan_1 Quality and Evaluation Plan_1 Communication and Dissemination Plan_1 online Leaflet - ENG + translated in 5 languages _1 logo_1 interim report_1 final reportB - INTANGIBLE INDICATORS_internal communication_exchange of practices between project partners _organisational, professional and personal development_families' satisfaction & increased capacity to cope_ community organisations satisfaction & increased capacity to support offenders families _increased IT literacy_project quality _Timing (lead time; product development time; waiting time;…)_Reputation of the project during the project implementation(2) On its completionA - TANGIBLE INDICATORS_1 Roadmap on existing programs/services that better meet the needs of families with incarcerated members (ENG version + RO; PT; GR; GE; SP)_1 Network of institutions/professionals to support prisoners’ families_1 mobile application “UpFamilies” available in 6 languages: ENG; RO; PT; GR; GE; SP)_ 1 Multimedia Training course on providing informal support and assistance to prisoners’ families (ENG + RO; PT; GR; GE; SP)_ 1 Training Manual to mobilize community capacity to provide informal support and assistance to prisoners’ families (ENG + RO; PT; GR; GE; SP)B - INTANGIBLE INDICATORS_promotion of innovative programs for social inclusion of disadvantaged families _promotion of a common understanding among researchers, managers, users of the project results, stakeholders and policy makers on the needs’ of families with incarcerated members and on available resources; _ create society awareness and citizenship on the needs of CJS’ families;_minimization of the effects of imprisonment for the family members;_families perception of usefulness and added value of the Application to improve their quality of life_families' knowledge about the available services that can support them, and help them to cope (including children and (ex) offenders)_families' decrease on feeling of not being supported by the CJS agencies, NGOs and the State; _families' decrease on feeling of vulnerability _increased families' access to opportunities for lifelong learning_increased NG0’s, welfare services, schools and state capacity to address the needs of prisoners’ families_increased schools and local community organisations capacity to provide informal support to prisoners’ families