Children with a parent in prison England and Wales: A hidden population of young carers

There are over 200, 000 children in the UK who are affected by parental imprisonment (Barnardo’s, 2014). Children with a parent in prison do a great deal of physical and emotional caring that often has a negative impact on their own physical and emotional wellbeing as well as their academic achievement. In this paper, the caring experiences of children with a parent in prison are explored using Dani and De Haan’s (2007) model of structural inequality to argue that the stigma and isolation experienced by children with a parent in prison is the consequence of a lack of political will to acknowledge the needs of a highly vulnerable group of children. It is contended that extending the eligibility criteria for young carers to include this group of children would significantly help to raise awareness, reduce stigma and offer effective support. Whilst there is recognition of substantial deficits in the support offered to young carers, nevertheless, as a community, young carers are perceived more positively by society, thereby receiving less structural inequality which children with a parent in prison experience on a regular basis