Kinship Care of Children with Incarcerated Parents

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In 2007 there were approximately 77,200 fathers and 65,600 mothers incarcerated in the United States (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2007). As our society continues to grow, our jail and prison population are growing as well. When a parent or guardian is taken into custody the juvenile (child) is taken and released to a relative or child protective services. The children are either given to a close family member or a surrogate parent, meaning a foster home. This may have an emotional impact on the juvenile involved, which may lead them to committing delinquent acts. The children sometimes feel they are left to fend for themselves emotionally and the stress of these emotions are left upon the guardian at the time. These intense sufferings sometimes leave the juveniles in a harmful mental state resembling depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and feelings of abandonment from their parents/guardians. Children with incarcerated parents are five times more likely than their peers to commit crimes (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, 2008). The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) helps our communities guard our children, disabled and our elderly from abuse and neglect. This agency also helps protect the children in foster homes or any 24-hour child facility. The consultants provide intense investigations and prevention programs before placing a child in a new home. Texas Child Protective Services, also known as CPS, has five main goals which include: investigating reports of abuse and neglect of children, providing services to children and families in their home, placing children in foster care, providing services to help youth in foster care make a transition to adulthood, and placing our childr... ... middle of paper ... ...them to write letters. Another factor would be the unfriendly environment of the jail and prison. The prison environment can be frightening and upsetting for children and may lead them to not want to return. The child welfare caseworker needs to help the caregiver know how to prepare the child for the visit, giving the child some idea of what to expect about the security procedures and a description of the facility and assuring the child that it is all right to talk about his or her reactions (Appendix 4.16, pg3). The most common is a negative relationship between the caregiver and the incarcerated parent, the caregiver may feel that any contact with the inmate may harm the child mentally and physically. Which leads to the caregiver cutting all ties with the incarcerated parent. The main goal of the caregiver is to provide a safe living environment for the child.

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