Families Impacted by Incarceration

Families Impacted by Incarceration

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In the United States today, more than 5 million children, or 7% of all children, have a parent who is or has been incarcerated. Data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) shows that about 8% of children who enter foster care do so as a direct result of parental incarceration. In many more cases, parental incarceration is one of several stressors that decrease family stability and contribute to child welfare involvement. Nearly half of the children in non-parental care have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives

Featured Resources

Videos
Families Impacted by Incarceration Videos

Families Impacted by Incarceration Videos

The loss of a parent to incarceration means a crisis for a child. Learn more about how to help children and families communicate and cope.

Tip Sheets
Families Impacted by Incarceration Tip Sheets

Families Impacted by Incarceration Tip Sheets

These tip sheets, produced in cooperation with the National Resource Center for Children and Families of the Incarcerated, provide strategies for maintaining the bond between children and an incarcerated parent.

BCBH Video
An Unlikely Partnership Film and Discussion Guide

An Unlikely Partnership Film and Discussion Guide

This short film, part of the Building Community, Building Hope series, highlights a collaboration between the State of Washington's Department of Early Learning and Department of Corrections to help keep families together during the incarceration of a parent.

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