More than 150,000 children in England and Wales have a parent sent toprison every year. Yet just three per cent of local authorities makespecific reference to children with a parent in prison in their plans,claims a charity for prisoners' families.
Action for Prisoners' Families has written to the Association ofDirectors of Children's Services urging action.
The charity's director Lucy Gampell said: "If the Government is seriousabout protecting young people and upholding their rights, it mustsupport them during this traumatic time."
The call follows last week's publication of The Corston Report by theHome Office. The report looked at women in the criminal justice systemand concluded that custody should be used only as a last resort.Baroness Corston said the effects on children when their mums are jailedas "nothing short of catastrophic".
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