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Written question asked by Richard Holden (Conservative) on Tuesday, 17 June 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 June 2025. It was answered by Janet Daby (Labour) on Wednesday, 25 June 2025 on behalf of the Department for Education.


Guardianship and Parents: Prisoners

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 16525 on Guardianship and Parents: Prisoners, what recent progress her Department has made with the Ministry of Justice to effectively identify children of prisoners.

Answer

Officials at the Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) continue to work closely together to deliver on our manifesto commitment to identify children affected by parental imprisonment and ensure they get the support they need to thrive.

We recognise that our approach to identification must be a sensitive one and link to an informed, consistent and sustainable nationwide support offer.

Our departments have engaged a broad range of external stakeholders with a variety of expertise to help inform our policy development and will continue to do so as our work on this commitment progresses.

In April 2025 DfE and MoJ Ministers co-chaired a roundtable meeting and brought together those with lived experience of parental imprisonment, expertise on local authority family support, safeguarding, prisons, housing, social work, courts and schools.

A cross-government workshop in June 2025 gathered officials from a range of government departments.

Officials from both DfE and MoJ have also visited local authorities, met with children and their families in the community, with parents and social workers in prisons, and participated in several focus groups.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
60541
Session
2024-26
Related items
Guardianship and Parents: Prisoners
Wednesday, 4 December 2024
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Guardianship Parents Prisoners Pupils
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk