Programs and resources for children of incarcerated parents and their families:
Alliance for Children and Families
Alliance for Children and Families is a national membership association that provides services to nonprofit child and family serving and economic empowerment organizations. Motivated by a vision of a healthy society and strong communities, we work to strengthen America’s nonprofit sector and through advocacy assure the sector’s continued independence. The Alliance, formed by the 1998 merger of Family Service America and the National Association of Homes and Services for Children, helps member agency leaders successfully meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges by drawing upon its more than 90 years of leadership in the human services community.
Website - https://www.alliance1.org/
The Angel Tree Program connects parents in prison with their children through the delivery of Christmas gifts, for those who celebrate this holiday. Angel Tree, a Prison Fellowship program, is nationwide. In most cases, local church volunteers purchase and deliver gifts to children in the name of their prisoner-parent. If you are interested in participating as a gift-giver, you can call Prison Fellowship at 1-800-55-ANGEL. If you are seeking to connect Angel Tree with a child of an incarcerated parent, learn more on the website.
Website - https://www.prisonfellowship.org
The Annie E. Casey Foundation works to build better futures for disadvantaged children and their families. The primary mission of the Foundation is to foster public policies, human service reforms, and community supports that meet the needs of today's vulnerable children and families.
Website - https://www.aecf.org
The mission of Assisting Families of Inmates (AFOI) is to provide opportunities for regular, meaningful visitation, referrals to community resources, and other services that help families cope with incarceration and prepare for release and reunification. AFOI is one of only a handful of such programs to provide these services in Virginia and across the United States. Website - https://afoi.org
Center for Restorative Justice Works (CRJW)
Vision: The Center For Restorative Justice Works re-weaves the web of relationships that have been torn apart by crime and the policies of the criminal justice system. CRJW serves as a conduit to assist and accompany children, families and communities in crossing over the barriers that separate them from people in prison. In doing so, CRJW restores relationships and creates public awareness in order to bring about radical transformation of the criminal justice system.
Mission: CRJW unites children, families, and communities separated by crime & the criminal justice system, creates awareness about the negative impacts of incarceration on children & families, & advocates for programs & policies that restore relationships.
Website - https://crjw.org
CRJW’s Get On The Bus Program
Get On The Bus unites children throughout California who have been separated from their mothers and fathers in prison. An annual event, Get On The Bus offers free transportation for the children and their chaperones to the prison, provides travel bags for families, a photo of each child with their parent, and meals for the whole day including a shared meal with their parent, all at no cost to the children’s family. On the bus trip home following the visit, each child receives a teddy bear with a letter from their parent in addition to post-event counseling.
Website - https://crjw.org/about-us/get-involved/
Children of Incarcerated Parents Mentoring
Children of Incarcerated Parents Mentoring is part of the Notre Dame Mission Volunteers-AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps’ CHIP program provides one-on-one mentoring for children affected by parental incarceration.NDA also partners with area schools and social service agencies to provide educational support for youth and adults.
Website - https://www.ndmva.org
Children of Incarcerated Parents International (COIPI)
We promote, deliver, and sustain evidenced-based prevention and support programs around the world for children who have experienced psychological or physical trauma from growing up in a home with incarcerated parents. Our programs nurture and support children of imprisoned parents, as well as educating and providing resources for their parents and members of the judicial and social services community.
Website - https://coipi.org
Children of Inmates is a Florida-based organization that helps to keep the lines of communication open between children and their incarcerated parents. According to their website, they “introduce children to their incarcerated parents, create positive memories and moments for the children, and facilitate rebuilding lasting bonds for a lifetime.” With a focus on raising children to be happy, healthy and productive citizens, this organization provides a series of services like Bonding Visits. As an advocate for stronger policies to strengthen the bond between children and their incarcerated parents, Children of Inmates helps to mitigate the trauma caused by the separation.
Website - https://www.childrenofinmates.org
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Child Welfare Information Gateway connects professionals and the general public to information and resources targeted to the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. A service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Welfare Information Gateway provides access to programs, research, laws and policies, training resources, statistics, and much more.
Website - https://www.childwelfare.gov
Families of the Incarcerated is a non-profit organization aimed at supporting youth who are struggling with the loss of a parent from incarceration. The CHIP (Children of Incarcerated Parents) Program was established in September 2009 as a one-year program for mentors to be matched with young children between the ages of 8 - 14 who are struggling with this loss. Mentors are asked to dedicate one year of their time for one hour a week or two hours every two weeks with their mentee to help build and support a long-lasting relationship. Every child deserves the opportunity to be listened to and loved and the CHIP Program seeks to provide that for those children who are less privileged.
Website - http://www.familiesoftheincarcerated.com
Family Services assists children of those currently incarcerated. We connect them with local community support, assist with travel expenses to visit the inmate and set up support between the families of those incarcerated.
Website - https://aleph-institute.org/
Friends Outside is a proactive child and family advocacy organization that helps families, children, and incarcerated individuals cope with the trauma of arrest and incarceration, find a new direction, and move forward with their lives. Friends Outside only offers direct services in California but is a national leader in advocating for the rights of children of incarcerated parents.
Website - http://www.friendsoutside.org
FOLA aims to end the cycle of incarceration and re-incarceration that affects millions of families in the United States every year. We do this by serving as a bridge between families, inmates, and the community, to break the cycle of crime. We provide supportive services to the families of those incarcerated and link them to other needed services provided by community organizations and government programs. We also support inmates and ex-inmates in making a successful transition into society.
Website - https://www.friendsoutsidela.org
Foreverfamily is an Atlanta-based program that works to ensure that all children have the opportunity to be surrounded by the love of family. This organization has several programs designed to nurture kids socially, emotionally, and educationally. For younger children, an after-school program helps them cope psychologically with the effects of having their parents imprisoned by allowing them a safe place to interact with other children in similar situations. Foreverfamily provides services to children of incarcerated parents and their families with the purpose of ensuring that, no matter what the circumstances, all children have the opportunity to be surrounded by the love of family. Foreverfamily also offers an intensive training geared to develop, strengthen and enhance efforts to meet the unique needs of children with incarcerated parents.
Website - https://www.foreverfam.org
The goals of the Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSBB) program are to lessen the impact of parental separation due to incarceration, to foster the personal and social development of girls and their mothers, and to provide girls with the opportunity to participate with their parents in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Parents and their daughters take an active leadership role in the planning and implementation of Girl Scout program activities and also participate in facilitated discussions about family life, conflict resolution, and the prevention of violence and drug abuse. After release, parents and daughters can continue to participate in troop meetings in their communities, making Girl Scouting a consistent presence in their lives.
Website - https://www.girlscouts.org/en/site-search.html?q=Girl+Scouts+Beyond+Bars
Hope House has three main goals: (1) to strengthen families and in particular, the relational bonds between children and their fathers imprisoned far from home; (2) to reduce the isolation, stigma, shame and risk these families experience when fathers and husbands are imprisoned; and (3) to raise public awareness about this most at-risk population.
Website - https://www.hopehousedc.org
Hour Children is providing practical, comprehensive services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their families. Located in Long Island City, this organization has been helping their local community for 25 years. Through prison- and community-based programs that support these fragile women and their families, this organization helps them work to transform their lives and achieve self-sufficiency.
Website - https://amphibian-turquoise-8ck7.squarespace.com/config/pages
Institute of Violence, Abuse & Trauma
Professional services offered at IVAT include conducting child custody evaluations, psychological testing, forensic evaluations, and conducting treatment of a variety of emotional and behavioral problems. Additional direct services available through IVAT include individual, family, re-unification, and group therapy; supervised visitation; and parenting skills classes. Therapy is provided to people with a variety of different problems in our comprehensive program. All services are provided on a sliding fee scale.
Website - https://www.ivatcenters.org
KidsMates Inc. is a national non-profit organization co-founded by children of incarcerated parents. KidsMates Inc.’s advocacy raises awareness about the silent American epidemic of parental incarceration and its lifelong negative impacts to affected children. The organization implements initiatives aimed at improving outcomes, fostering resilience, and empowering children of incarcerated parents.
Website - https://www.kidsmates.org
The Messages Project is focused on the children left behind when a parent is incarcerated in prisons in Virginia, Nebraska, and Missouri several times a year to create videotapes or DVDs from incarcerated parents to their children. The recordings are mailed home to children and families, often with a book that was read as part of the message.
Website - https://themessagesproject.org
National CURE organizes people incarcerated and their loved ones to bring about prison reform.
Website - https://www.curenational.org
National Parents and Families Network
National Parents and Families Network provides the following services: 1. Responsible Parenting Training and Consulting 2. Re-Entry, Recidivism Training and Consulting 4. Community Engagement Training and Consulting. 5. Curriculum Writing and Consulting 6. Counseling and Consulting on Children of Incarcerated Parents. 7. Lecturing and Workshops on issues of Incarceration as it pertains to the family unit and society as a whole. 8. Consulting and Training on how to work with the prison and correctional system. 9. Consulting and Training on Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents.
Website - https://www.nationalfamilysupportnetwork.org
The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated
The mission of The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated (NRCCFI) is to show criminal justice system, other institutions, and society that families of prisoners are valued resources in supporting family empowerment, integrity, and self-determination. NRCCFI publishes information on children of prisoners, parenting programs for prisoners, prison visiting, incarcerated fathers, hospitality programs, and a variety of other topics.
Website - https://nrccfi.camden.rutgers.edu
Parenting & Family Healing provides parenting and family healing to incarcerated individuals; train counselors, educators, and others in Relational Healing and Peer Governance Models.
Website - http://bfsf.org
PrisonMail simplifies communication and encourages constant correspondence between prisoners and their families and loved ones. It uses the convenience of the internet to allow those with incarcerated loved ones to send messages on a regular basis.
Website - https://www.prisonmail.org/
Prisoner Visitation and Support
PVS is the only nationwide, interfaith visitation program given access by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Defense to visit all federal and military prisoners. We have 300 volunteers across the U.S. who regularly visit at over 90 federal and military prisons.
Website - https://www.prisonervisitation.org
Project Avary's mission is to help children heal from the impact of having a parent in prison. They do this by surrounding youth with a long-term, supportive community of peer and adult mentors and by empowering them with leadership development skills so they can break free from generational cycles of trauma and incarceration.
Website - https://www.projectavary.org/
Programs for children with incarcerated parents and other experiences of loss. Rainbows’ facilitators are specifically trained to support children of all different age groups. Facilitators act as companions to share experiences and help children make sense of loss and as compassionate role models for peer groups. By validating children’s emotions and encouraging peer relationships based on respect, facilitators help children to reconcile these adverse circumstances and to look forward to a fulfilling future.
Website - https://rainbows.org
Sesame Workshop, pioneered by the Administration for Children and Families group, includes multimedia, bilingual (English/Spanish) programs for children of incarcerated parents. One of most beloved sources of early childhood development, Sesame Street, now offers these children and their families/caregivers a free toolkit. The resources are also valuable for the range of other professionals who interact with these children. “Sesame Workshop believes the incarceration of a loved one can be very overwhelming for both children and caregivers. The very act can bring about big changes and transitions. But Sesame Workshop feels there are simple everyday ways to help comfort a child and guide him or her through these tough moments.”
Website - https://sesamestreetincommunities.org
SKIP, Inc is a program focused on Saving Kids of Incarcerated Parents. With franchises around the country, this program works with youth and their caregivers to establish a supportive “circle” of positive relationships around every child. They provide behavioral and academic empowerment programs for children who have one or both parents in prison. To inquire about a program in your area, click here. Additionally, they offer an online community for teens ages 13-17. Every Sunday evening at 6:00 PM Eastern, kids can share their thoughts and ideas with others who understand.
SKIP also offers a variety of community programming, printed and online resources, and volunteer training.
Website - http://www.skipinc.org
Volunteer of America provides literacy and family strengthening programming for incarcerated parents and their children. Parents take a class then read and record books. The recordings are given to the children along with a book bag, personal tape player and other supplies.
Website - https://www.voa.org/correctional-re-entry-services
We Got Us Now is a national nonpartisan organization built by, led by and about children and young adults impacted by parental incarceration with the mission to ENGAGE, EDUCATE, ELEVATE & EMPOWER our historically invisible population through the use of digital narratives, safe + inclusive spaces & advocacy led campaigns to ensure our voices are at the forefront of strategic initiatives, practices and policies that will help to keep our families connected, create fair sentencing and end mass incarceration.
Website - https://www.wegotusnow.org
The list of organizations was complied using google searches, individual organization websites and aggregator websites including - Connect Network, Rutgers University - The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated, Child Welfare Information Gateway.
Disclaimer - we try to keep our website as up-to-date and accurate as possible however, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information at all times. The organizations listed on this website are not endorsed by AFCOIP and we do comment on the quality of the services provides by the organizations.