Support for the families of offenders in Merseyside

With a loved one in prison, children often face what we call ‘a hidden sentence’ – they shoulder the shame and guilt often felt when someone they love goes to prison and want to keep it to themselves. This can lead the child to have behavioural and emotional difficulties, which is often misunderstood. But we can help.

We support children with a parent in custody, and children whose parents have recently been released, to cope with their family member’s sentence.

Supporting the whole family

Our support doesn’t just stop at the children – our whole family approach means we offer support to the child, their parent/carer and, where possible, the parent who has been in prison once they have been released.

How do we support families with a loved one in custody?

We provide families with:

• advice about what to tell children about imprisonment;
• one-to-one support for children, where they can talk about their feelings;
• group support for children with shared experiences to talk thing through and have some fun together;
• one-to-one support for children as they consider whether they want to remain in contact with their imprisoned family member;
• specialist support for children attending prison visits to see a parent (depending on prison location and funding);
• peer group support for children where they can meet others who share their experience whilst having fun;
• a support group for adults who have a loved one in prison; and
• advocacy support.