Identifying and Supporting Children of Prisoners in Wales: A Rights-Based Case for Legislative and Policy Reform

An estimated 5,000 children in Wales have a parent in prison at any one time, yet there is currently no routine mechanism for identifying these children or ensuring they receive support. Published jointly by Pact and Children's Legal Centre Wales, Identifying and Supporting Children of Prisoners in Wales: A Rights-Based Case for Legislative and Policy Reform argues that this is not simply a service gap, but a children's rights issue.

The report highlights the impact parental imprisonment can have on children's wellbeing, mental health, education, family relationships and life chances. It also explores challenges that are particularly acute in Wales, including the fact that there are currently no women's prisons in Wales, meaning every Welsh woman given a custodial sentence is imprisoned across the border in England.

The authors argue that Wales has already established a strong legal framework centred on children's rights, prevention and wellbeing through legislation including the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. Yet children affected by parental imprisonment remain largely invisible within that framework.

The report calls on the Welsh Government to:

• Introduce a statutory duty to identify children affected by parental imprisonment.
• Develop a national school-based model of identification and support.
• Create formal notification pathways between justice agencies, schools and health services.
• Strengthen safeguarding guidance, workforce training and data collection.
• Embed the needs and rights of these children within existing Welsh policy and legislative frameworks.

Drawing on research, frontline experience and the voices of children and young people with lived experience, the report concludes that the harm experienced by children affected by parental imprisonment is both foreseeable and preventable. Wales, it argues, has both an opportunity and a responsibility to lead the way in ensuring these children are identified, supported and able to realise their rights.

Download the report

• English
• Cymraeg