Children affected by parental and familial imprisonment often suffer their wide range of emotions and experiences in silence, and are more likely to have poor mental health, low self-esteem, and be emotionally dysregulated, impacting their ability to function and learn. Without compassionate support, they are also more likely to disengage from education, which can lead to:
- Lower academic achievement
- Increased risk of anti-social behaviour
- Increased risk of exploitation
- Increased risk of involvement in the criminal justice system
- Experiencing social disadvantage
To improve outcomes for these children it is vital that we overcome the barriers to ensuring that affected families are offered support, kept safe, and given the opportunity to have their questions answered and their feelings heard. Where it is safe to do so, it is beneficial for families to maintain contact, whilst respecting their own needs and preferences, confidentiality, and right to privacy.
Support for families
Pact (Prison Advice and Care Trust)
Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) is a national charity that supports prisoners, people with convictions and their families. A helpline is available, and the Pact website offers a range of helpful guidance (we’ve picked out some specific pages further down this page).
Talking to children about a parent or family member going to prison
- What do I tell the kids?
- Pact resources to support children and young people
- Children Heard and Seen – FAQs on how to tell children
- Children Heard and Seen – Template letters for children to send to their loved one in prison
- An Outsiders guide for the partners and families of prisoners
- Spurgeons guide to supporting a child with a parent in prison
Support for children and young people
- Childline support and guidance if you have a parent or carer in prison
- Children Heard and Seen – Young People’s Voices created by those who have lived experience of parental imprisonment.
Local Services
Space Youth Services – Funded to deliver tailored support for children in Devon in 2023-2027, through a programme that was co-designed with young people called Not My Sentence. There is a handbook that can be downloaded from their website.
Argyle Community Trust – Commissioned by Cornwall Council and are being funded directly by some schools in Devon to support individual children, using Pupil Premium funding.
CASS Plus – Support magistrates and family courts in Exeter, Newton Abbot, and Plymouth. They often meet and support families of the people appearing in court and are able to signpost families to other support.
Shekinak – Make Amends – Award-winning victim support commissioned service for Devon and Cornwall. The service provides support to people who have been affected by crime, conflict, anti-social behaviour, or harm caused by the actions of others. They can offer support to children as well as adults, and recognise children affected by imprisonment as victims in their own right. They can work directly with the prisoner and the family, where all parties are consenting to restorative justice process.
Exeter Community Initiatives – Family Resource – Victim support commissioned service for Devon and Cornwall. Family Support Workers are skilled in engaging families and work in partnership with them to agree a way forward through the challenges they are facing. Work with families includes across a range of areas including parenting support approaches; capturing and sharing the voice of individuals in the family; recovery from adverse experiences; relationship conflict in the family; navigating multi-agency meetings; signposting and connecting to wider or specialist services.
bthechange CIC – Offer a range of services including support for first time criminal justice system entrants.
Prison visiting
Support for professionals
Further guidance and resources for professionals is available on the Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership website.