Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit, Superu, a New Zealand crown entity, released a publication in June 2015 entitled “Improving outcomes for children with a parent in prison.”
It stated that the 20,000 children with parents in prison in New Zealand were also at high risk of being sent to prison themselves in the future. “This release shines a light on the wide range of negative impacts that children with a parent in prison experience, including long term poor health, educational and social outcomes,” Superu said.
Pillars, a New Zealand non profit that supports children and families of prisoners was consulted when making this publication.
Ms. Verna McFelin, the Chief Executive of Pillars said that effective multi-agency support would provide “a cohesive plan to support children of prisoners from the time their parent is arrested through to the time that parent is released back into their lives.” This means that different
services, agencies and teams of professionals and other practitioners would work together to provide services that fully meet the needs of children of prisoners.
This work will enhance better coordination of the work of agencies that traditionally provided discrete services to meet different aspects of the needs of youth and families of New Zealand to include children of prisoners as well. Click here to read Superu Publication
