Unlocking help for prisoners’ children

James* is 14 and his dad has been in and out of prison for alcohol-related offences since he was eight.

He often listens to other children talking about the fun things they did with their dads at the weekend and feels angry at his own father for letting him down.

He struggles to express his emotions and doesn’t feel able to talk to friends for fear of being bullied. He has started getting into fights and was recently involved in some low-level antisocial behaviour outside school.

James’s experience is far from unique. An estimated 310,000 children each year in England and Wales have a parent in prison.

The impact on families can be devastating with some facing poverty and losing their home. A recent survey of people with a family member in prison for the Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact), which supports prisoners and their families, found many struggle to afford basics including food and heating.

• Read more: Supporting children and families with a parent in prison: advice for professionals

Pact’s survey of more than 160 people with a family member in prison found half were worried about being able to afford essentials needed to care for their children.

On top of losing a partner’s income, families often face extra costs associated with staying in touch and supporting their loved one through a sentence including travel costs and sending money.

Families also suffer from widespread social stigma and isolation and many report deteriorating mental and physical health.

“You’re treated like you’ve got some sort of disease,” said one person who took part in Pact’s research.

Children experience disruption, loss, confusion and often blame themselves.

Parental imprisonment can affect children’s mental health, impact their education and how well they do at school and may increase their risk of being drawn into antisocial behaviour and crime. They may have to take on additional caring responsibilities.

However, support for families is a postcode lottery, explains Lorna Brookes, reader in parental imprisonment at Liverpool John Moores University, and founder of Merseyside-based charity Time-Matters UK, which supports children with a parent in prison.

“In some parts of the UK there are dedicated services for children impacted by parental imprisonment but in some areas there is nothing,” she says.

A lack of data is part of the problem for those trying to improve support. “More is known about the number of labradors in the UK than about the number of children with parents in prison,” says Sarah Burrows, founder and chief executive of the charity Children Heard and Seen, which works with children and families affected by parental imprisonment.

While many assume these children would automatically be on the radar of family support or social services, this is not the case.

“It’s a myth that social care gets involved when a parent goes to prison,” says Burrows. “There is no safety net for these children and as a society we don’t think about them.”

Two government-commissioned reviews by Lord Michael Farmer in 2017 and 2019 highlighted the importance of maintaining family ties for prisoners when it comes to reducing re-offending.

The Strengthening Family Ties Policy Framework launched by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in January 2019 sets out rules and guidance for prison staff on supporting relationships between prisoners and their families.

However, social worker Allison Hopkins, who has an adopted son in prison, says prison officers sometimes “use families as weapons”, denying visits as a form of punishment for poor behaviour without thinking about the impact on children and families.

Families often face long journeys to see a loved-one, making maintaining contact a challenge, she adds.

Meanwhile, there is no consistent way for criminal justice bodies and others to find out if a prisoner has children.

The onus is on the prisoner to voluntarily reveal this information, something many don’t want to do for fear of losing their children.

The MoJ says it is aware of the issues around identification and is working to improve support.

“We know the challenges faced by children with parents in prison, which is why we’re improving the support available to them,” says a spokesperson.

“This includes better screening of new prisoners to identify caring responsibilities and investing millions in joining up government data so we can better spot and help children with complex needs.”

Another issue is confusion around who is responsible for this vulnerable group.

The MoJ is quick to point out that children made vulnerable by parental imprisonment are actually the responsibility of the Department for Education in England and devolved governments in other UK nations. The DfE says it recognises the impact a parent going to prison has on a child’s learning, behaviour, mental health and wellbeing. It is working to improve support for all vulnerable children through reforms to social services including the creation of “family help” teams, which will provide intensive support to any family facing significant challenges.

The Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance for local areas – which was updated in 2023 – highlights children of prisoners as a group practitioners should be particularly aware of and stresses the need to provide appropriate advice and support where needed.

Under contract to HMPPS, every prison has a “family and significant other provider” whose role is to keep prisoners in touch with families. Meanwhile, the Help with Prison Visits scheme, run by HMPPS enables some families, such as those on benefits, to get help with costs linked to prison visits including travel, accommodation and meals.

The National Information Centre on Children of Offenders, run by Barnardo’s in partnership with HMPPS provides information to professionals including a directory of local and national support services for children and families of prisoners.

Much support is provided by charities such as Children Heard and Seen, which offers one-to-one support for children, mentoring and groups where young people with a parent in prison can meet others in the same situation.

Sarah Burrows says keys to success include “providing a sense of belonging”. “We offer tailored support to help children process their emotions and dispel the stigma,” she says.

The charity has worked with more than 950 children to date and only five have gone on to offend.

Families First is a two-year pilot project run by west of England family support charity YSS with a focus on working with whole families.

“Children need a safe space and providing support for the non-imprisoned parent means the child doesn’t have to grow up too quickly,” says the charity’s operations manager Lia Palios-Hayden. “Financial support, managing emotions and helping children stay in school are important protective factors.”

Working with prisoners to help them steer clear of crime when released is also key when it comes to supporting children and halting intergenerational cycles of offending.

“By helping the parent you help the children,” says Palios-Hayden. However, over-stretched prisons can struggle to ensure inmates are able to access key services including mental health provision and support into employment.

Pact runs a wide range of services including prison-based social work to help mothers maintain links with children and play services and family days in prisons that allow prisoners to interact more naturally with children.

“Structural inequalities and a broken system lead to intergenerational offending and prisons make mentally ill people worse,” says Pact chief executive Andy Keen-Downs.

“We need to direct funding from building prisons to mental health services and youth and family services.”

Schools could play an important role in supporting children but the lack of statutory recording means they are often unaware a pupil has a parent in prison.

To help address this, Pact has developed a toolkit for teachers and other school staff to use as part of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons – or on a one-to-one basis – as well as resources for children and young people.

The toolkit, which will be available free from the Pact website from this month, aims to give practitioners the confidence to discuss sensitive issues with children, including feelings of shame.

It is important children know they can talk to someone if they want to, says Palios-Hayden.

Weekly support from a specialist Families First worker helped James open up about his feelings and learn how to manage his emotions and behaviour.

He now feels able to talk to his mum and teachers about any concerns. Next time he visits his dad he is going to explain how he has missed having a father and what he would like life to be like when his dad is released.

*Name changed

West Yorkshire project provides intensive one-to-one and family support

Children of Prisoners Empowered (Cope) is a west Yorkshire-based service delivering intensive support to children and young people with a parent sentenced to prison at Leeds Crown Court.

The project, which is run by the charity St Giles Trust, encompasses one-to-one work with children and young people, family support and peer support from “someone who has been there”.

By picking up children and young people at the time of sentencing, the project ensures they are supported through the traumatic early days of a parent’s imprisonment.

St Giles Trust case workers talk to them about their situation, explore what it is likely to mean for them and address their concerns including providing reassurance that this is not their fault.

It is vital to ensure children have a stable home life so family support includes help with practical issues such as housing, finance, health and links to specialist services.

The families referred to Cope are those most likely to experience social isolation due to the stigma attached to prison and the criminal justice system.

The project provides them with information and gives them a chance ask questions. Peer support from someone with experience of a family member in prison helps them feel more comfortable talking about their situation and means they are more willing to try new things.

To date, the project has supported 27 young people under 18 and more than half – 15 – have made significant progress.

Families feel less isolated and children are better able to focus on school, have higher self-esteem and feel more confident.