Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to bring forward (a) legislative and (b) policy proposals to help support the children of prisoners.

This Government recognises that having a parent in prison is considered an adverse childhood experience and can have a significant impact on a child’s life chances. We have therefore committed to ensuring that children impacted by parental imprisonment are identified and offered the support they need to address this.

We are working closely with the Department for Education to drive action on this important agenda. Ministers from both the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education recently hosted a roundtable bringing together sector experts. Officials from both Departments have attended focus groups to hear directly from those with lived experience of parental imprisonment, so that their voices can shape and inform the policy proposals we will bring forward.