Page 29 - Getting it Right for Vulnerable Children and Young People in North Ayrshire

Some Key Factors Affecting Impact on Child Obviously, not all children affected by imprisonment will face the same difficulties and challenges. Also, children of different ages and developmental stages will be affected in different ways. In assessing the needs of a child or young person affected by a parent’s imprisonment, these are some of the key factors to take into account: • Whether the child/young person was witness to the arrest of their parent and whether the arrest was forceful • Whether the child/young person was living with the parent prior to imprisonment • Whether the child/young person has experienced a change in carer(s) as a result of the imprisonment • Any changes in material living circumstances • Any changes in emotional living circumstances • Changes of roles within the family, including whether the child/young person now has a caring role • Nature of crime and any societal reaction to the crime • The child or young person’s level of comprehension of the crime • Whether the child/young person (or other local children) were the victim of the crime • The presence of other factors such as parental alcohol and/or drug misuse, parental mental health issues, domestic abuse and antisocial behaviour. Additional Complexities Not all crimes are the same in terms of the impact of parental imprisonment. Sex and serious violent crimes add to the complexity of the work with the children of prisoners. Although many children and families affected by imprisonment will experience the same difficulties and disadvantages, the characteristics of the offence can add increased complexity, confusion and stigma. Sexual offences of the father abusing an older child in the family or abusing children living locally have particular implications for the child of the prisoner. For child protection reasons, the imprisonment of the father is typically accompanied by restrictions on the child seeing him. The child in these circumstances is therefore likely to be experiencing a double loss, where even visiting the parent in prison is not possible. This may leave children in this situation not only dealing with loss but also not comprehending the nature of the crime or understanding why contact has been terminated with the father. The pressure on the remaining parent about what to tell the child in these situations can be very extreme. This pressure may be compounded by neighbourhood stigma as a result of publicity about the crime and possibly the breakdown of wider family relationships. Getting It Right For Vulnerable Children and Young People in North Ayrshire Live V1.2 April 2014 Page No:29