Children of prisoners - maintaining family ties

Findings - funding

There is no specific statutory funding for this work and there are concerns about the impact upon already depleted and stretched resources.
Provision comes largely from the voluntary sector, where funding is often short-term and from a range of sources. Consequently, services are not always able to plan for the future, jobs can be under threat and the services offered to children may be withdrawn.
In Northern Ireland and Scotland, provision is funded by the prison service and probation. Although this is still applied for on a regular basis, it would seem that there is far more security in this arrangement, reflecting the need for a mainstreaming of provision.
It has to be acknowledged that in England it is a postcode lottery as to whether children are in a geographical location with any specific services for them. This is further complicated if a child is not living in the same locality as the prison where their parent is being held as there are issues over financial responsibility.
A pooling of resources for the children and families affected by imprisonment may result in a more coordinated and better-funded response.