Editorial: The forgotten victims of the prison system
Ravi Chandiramani
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
There is widespread concern these days over the high numbers of young people in custody and the burgeoning prison population more generally. But what about the children of prisoners?
Losing a parent to prison can feel like a sudden bereavement. While the recording of outcomes of this sub-group are at present pretty sparse, what evidence there is suggests that compared to their peers they have about three times the risk of antisocial behaviour and mental health problems. Indeed, there is no national strategy to support children of prisoners. They remain unnoticed and unsupported. Even their precise numbers are unknown with rough estimates putting the figure at around 150,000.
The Social Care Institute for Excellence has this week issued guidance in order to improve life chances for children of prisoners (see p4). It's an issue that requires a co-ordinated response, which means schools, local authorities, and health providers need to be trained in understanding the issues facing children of prisoners and on using the common assessment framework. Since a change in behaviour is often the only way schools discover a child's parent has gone to prison, the guidance recommends schools dedicate a staff member to liaise with local prisons and probation. But their needs also require formal recognition. To this end, the guidance recommends local authority children's services departments incorporate their needs into their children and young people's plans and care plans for looked-after children.
In practice, what will make life better for children of prisoners will be a more child-friendly secure estate. While it might not always be in the best interests of children to maintain family ties, the onus here is on the prison service to invest in family support officers and introduce more flexible visiting hours so children do not have to miss school. While the evidence here is also sparse, encouraging the parent-child relationship to continue and thrive during custody, can reduce reoffending.
In her inaugural speech as president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services last week, Maggie Atkinson said the mantra for her presidency will be to "think family" - which also happens to be the label given to the social exclusion task force's recent review. Children of prisoners are hidden victims of crime whose life chances will never be improved if we think about them as children in isolation.
- Ravi Chandiramani, editor, Children & Young People Now.
