Prisoners: Children
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure that the children of those imprisoned are (a) identified and (b) offered support.
Answered by Sir Nicholas Dakin
The Government recently published the first official statistics to estimate the number of children affected by parental imprisonment using administrative government data. It's estimated that between 1 October 2021 and 1 October 2022 there were around 193,000 children with a parent in prison. We fully recognise the importance of being able to identify children with a parent in prison to make sure they receive the support they need to flourish and thrive, which is why a commitment on this was included in our manifesto.
The Ministry of Justice is working closely with the Department for Education to determine how to effectively identify these children and provide support for both them and for the parent in prison. The support will be informed by lessons from previous interventions and pilots, and engagement both with those with lived experience and organisations from the Voluntary, Charity and Social Enterprise sector.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →