Children's Services
Practice
For North Carolina's Child Welfare Workers
From the NC Division of Soaol Services and the Family and Children's Resource Program
Volume 7, Number 1 • J anuary 2002
Children's Services Practice Notes is a
newsletter for North Carolina's child welfare
workers produced four times a year by the
North Carolina Division of Social Services
and the N.C. Family and Children's Resource
Program, part of the Jordan Institute for
Families and the School of Social Work at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.
In summarizing recent research, we try to give
you new ideas for refining your practice. How¬
ever, Ihis publication is not intended to replace
child welfare training, regular supervision, or
peer consultation— only to enhance them.
Let us hear from you!
If you would like to comment about some¬
thing that appears in this or any other issue
of Children's Services Practice Notes,
please do so! Address your comments to:
John McMahon
J ordan Institute for Families
UNC-CH School of Social Work
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550
State Courier Number: 17-61-04
E-mail: johnmcmahon@mindspring.com
Newsletter Staff
Lane Cooke, MSW, Advisor
John McMahon, MA, Writer/Editor
Amy Ramirez, Assistant Editor
Visit Our Website
To read this or past issues of Practice Notes
on line, go to <http://www.sowo.unc.edu/
fcrp/Cspn/cspn.htm>.
WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH
PARENTS IN PRISON
There may be as many as 2 million
children in the U.S. who have one or
more parents in prison or jail. That's
close to two out of every 100 children
(Wright & Seymour, 2000).
Research indicates these children are
traumatized by separationfrom their par¬
ents, confused by the parent's actions,
and stigmatized by the shame of their
parent's situation. Deprived of income
and guidance, these children are vul¬
nerable to poverty, to stressful shifts
in caregivers, separation from siblings,
and other family disruptions.
Because of all of this, the children
of incarcerated parents should be of
special concern to North Carolina's child
welfare workers. As a state and a pro¬
fession, we are more focused than ever
on ensuring all children have a safe, per¬
manent home, one that maintains and
promotes their well-being.
Yet when a child has a parent in prison,
achieving this goal can be especially dif¬
ficult. This issue of Children's Services
Practice Notes aims to introduce you to
the challenges of working with this popu¬
lation and to provide you with resources
and information to enhance your work
with children and families separated by
incarceration. ♦
UNDERSTANDING PARENTS IN PRISON
As child welfare workers, our ability
to establish and maintain a relation¬
ship with the parents of the children
we serve is critical. If we know and
understand the parents, if we can com¬
municate with them, if there is some
degree of trust between us, then as¬
sessing safety, moving toward perma¬
nence, and helping the child flourish
are all much easier.
Of course, building a relationship
with parents can be difficult when the
parent lives at home. But what do you
do when the parent lives in jail? How
do you handle case management, per¬
manency planning, and visits? How can
you evaluate parent progress?
What do you know
about parents in
prison?
Unfortunately, a
growing number of
child welfare workers
are facing these chal¬
lenges. The U.S. Bu¬
reau of J ustice Statis¬
tics reports that in
1997, 9.6% of the
mothers and 1.8% of
the fathers in state pris¬
ons had at least one child in some form
of out-of-home care (Mumola, p. 3). Given
the trend toward larger prison popula¬
tions that we saw in the 1990s, it seems
likely that if you haven't worked with a child
who has an incarcerated parent, you soon
will. To provide you with back- cont p. 2
