A family held together

When a parent goes to prison, the sentence is shared by everyone at home. Money gets tighter overnight. Children ask questions that nobody knows how to answer. Visiting means long journeys and unfamiliar rules, and many families carry it quietly because they are worried about being judged.

What we try to do

We start with the practical pressures: food, bills, and finding out what support the family is entitled to. Then we make room for the harder conversations, including how to explain what is happening to children in a way that is honest and age-appropriate.

Staying connected

Where it is safe and appropriate, we encourage contact between parents and children through letters, calls and visits, and we help families prepare for release so that the return home is not a shock.

Families should not have to serve a sentence they were never given.

This piece describes how our family support works in general. Individual stories are only shared with consent, and names are changed where needed.