Dr Fiona Donson and Dr Aisling Parkes of UCC School of Law are leading the project, which will be delivered in collaboration with the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT).

There is little Irish data available regarding children and families’ lived experiences of the imprisonment of a family member, and no national support services exist for this group.

The new project will undertake research to provide a snapshot of how, if at all, children in particular are supported in the context of familial imprisonment in Ireland.

It builds on a number of previous initiatives and aims to support the formal establishment of a network of those concerned with improving supports for children and families who have an imprisoned family member in Ireland.