Government challenged to do more to support children with a parent in prison

Leading NGOs and academics have jointly called for the development of a national advocacy strategy for children with a parent in prison.

The Children’s Rights Alliance, Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) and UCC Law School lecturers Dr Fiona Donson and Dr Aisling Parkes yesterday hosted the Unseen, Unheard seminar event.

Dr Donson and Dr Parkes told ILN today: “The purpose of yesterday’s event which sought to raise awareness of the issue and disseminate the action principles was to stimulate discussion and highlight the factors that should underpin any national policy or actions to promote and protect the rights and needs of children with a parent in prison.

“The principles are a starting point for advocacy work by NGOs and researchers working in this area and seek to encourage a cross sectoral response which needs to be led by government.”

The event organisers said children with parents serving a prison sentence face “huge disruption and unease in all areas of their lives”, impacting on their life outcomes and sometimes resulting in early school drop-out and other complex social problems.

They said services and voices committed to listening to these children and advocating for their needs can contribute in the long-term to more positive outcomes and brighter futures for these children.

The event saw members of Tusla, the Irish Prison Service, and Bedford Row discuss the policy and practice prerequisites for an effective response to the needs of this group of children in Ireland.

Speakers included Ilina Taneva of the Council for Penological Co-operation, Council of Europe, and Tim Haines, family support manager at Scottish charity Families Outside.

A UCC briefing called Principles of Action for Children with a Parent in Prison was disseminated at the event and aims to provide a blueprint for future Government action in a “much neglected area”.

The event was funded by the Irish Research Council.