Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what analysis her Department has undertaken on the support needs of children who have a parent in prison but do not visit that parent; and what steps it is taking to support those children in the community.

Through the department’s Parental Imprisonment Recognition and Support Pilot Programme, delivered jointly with the Ministry of Justice, we are building the evidence base on effective community support. The pilot focuses on children’s individual circumstances and needs, with local support shaped by families with lived experience and specialist organisations. The department recognises that visiting or maintaining contact with a parent in prison will not be appropriate for every child and parental imprisonment can affect children’s wellbeing, outcomes and opportunities, regardless of whether they visit their parent in prison.

Evaluation of the programme will consider how effectively the range of children's needs are recognised and supported, including those who do not visit or have contact with their parent in prison.