How we help | Children affected by imprisonment

You might be reading these pages because you are the parent of a child whose other parent is currently detained abroad. Perhaps you are a grandparent or a guardian, caring for children while their parent is incarcerated. You might be the parent of a child whose brother or sister is in prison, or perhaps your own brother or sister is detained and you wonder whether you should tell your own children about their aunt or uncle's detention.

Imprisonment can affect children in a range of ways and we hope the articles on the following pages will help you to think about some of these issues.

Please contact us if it would help you to share your thoughts or discuss issues concerning you and your family. We would also welcome your own contributions, writings, quotes or experiences which you feel would help other people in similar situations – once we have enough, we may publish them on these pages or in our newsletter (with your consent, of course, and not using your name if you prefer). Equally if you have read other articles or publications you would like to inform others about please let us know. You can email us at info@prisonersabroad.org.uk, call on (Freephone) 0808 172 0098, or write to us at Prisoners Abroad, 89-93 Fonthill Road, London N4 3JH.

Click on the following links for information about the following topics:

Should we tell the children?

What, and how, to tell the children?

Children and detainees - staying in touch

Should we take the children on a visit?

Looking after children who are affected by imprisonment

Books aimed directly at children affected by imprisonment

Other useful organisations and publications

Websites for children