Children of Prisoners — [Sir Roger Gale in the Chair]

Opened the debate

Around half of prisoners are parents to children aged 17 or younger, with many relying on grandparents for support. Children of imprisoned parents face a 25% higher risk of mental health issues and are more likely to experience negative school outcomes and economic hardship. A significant number do not receive free school meals before parental imprisonment, but this figure increases post-imprisonment by at least 20%. Furthermore, these children have a 65% likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior themselves. The current system fails to adequately identify and support these children, leading to cases where they are found living alone without basic necessities.

Government Response

I thank my friend, the right hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Holden), for securing this important debate. He eloquently outlined why we cannot overestimate the impact of parental imprisonment on children and their families. I welcome that intervention. As a parent, I find it really difficult to have to be away from my child for four days a week. This is about what we can do to provide support to these children. Growing up with a parent in prison is incredibly tough for many children. It is widely recognised as an adverse childhood experience that affects not just a child's day-to-day life, but their longer-term opportunities and outcomes. We owe it to every child with a parent in prison to ensure that disadvantage does not become ingrained from generation to generation. The Ministry of Justice produced the first official statistics on the children of prisoners in July, estimating over 193,000 children affected by parental imprisonment annually in England and Wales. Identifying and supporting these families is crucial. We are taking a wide approach with a focus on providing whole-family support that improves life chances. This includes maintaining relationships between children and parents in prison when appropriate and in the interests of the child, supported by robust safeguarding measures to protect the safety of children at all times. We aim to reach more affected children and families through better data sharing across Departments and organisations, encouraging voluntary disclosure of parental responsibility from prisoners, and integrating support with existing systems. £500 million will be available from April 2024 for local authorities to roll out family help and child protection services, nearly doubling direct investment in preventive services by 2025-26. The Department for Education is undertaking rapid research to understand the impact of parental imprisonment on children's outcomes and identify gaps in support. We are also exploring new roles such as prison-based social workers and resettlement family engagement workers to help women maintain family ties, alongside establishing a women's justice board focused on issues specific to pregnant women and mothers in custody.