Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Ministry of Justice Transparency Data entitled Updated estimates of children with a parent in prison, published on 10 September 2026, what analysis his Department has undertaken of the support needs of young adult dependents experiencing parental incarceration.

The BOLD (Better Outcomes through Linked Data) Partnerships programme has carried out extensive work on children experiencing parental imprisonment, with children under 18 as their main focus.

For children under 18, parental imprisonment can be a safeguarding and developmental issue with support needs focusing on emotional wellbeing, maintaining stability in education and school attendance, family support, and facilitating contact with the imprisoned parent where safe and appropriate. The purpose of this work is to provide early, preventative support to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes and unmet needs later in life (including as young adults).

For young adult dependants affected by parental imprisonment, the needs are likely to be around income, housing, and employment support. They may also be caring for younger siblings and may need mental health support. These services are offered through adult rather children’s services.

There is limited data on young adult dependants affected by imprisonment as there are no specific data collections relating to this age group. Support for young adult dependants affected by imprisonment is likely to overlap with employment support, youth transition from children’s social care, and youth justice related services.