Children with Family Members in Prison

Research has shown that parental imprisonment has a direct impact on children’s academic attainment, socio-emotional development and behaviour, often escalating to school exclusion or truancy (Social Care Institute for Excellence [SCIE], 2008).

Approximately 200,000 children in England and Wales have a parent sent to prison each year. These children are at risk of poor outcomes including poverty, stigma, isolation and poor mental health.

An interesting article on the BBC website gives some insight into the issues that these children face.

‘I was labelled a bad kid when mum went to prison’ – BBC News

More information can be found below:

The National Information Centre on Children of Offenders (NICCO)

Children with a parent in prison | Barnardo’s (barnardos.org.uk)

Parents in prison | Childline

The right to family life: children whose mothers are in prison – Report Summary – Joint Committee on Human Rights (parliament.uk)