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About
The Story of See Us, Support Us
See Us, Support Us (SUSU) creates a community for and raises awareness about children of incarcerated parents, highlighting their voices, strengths and needs. Launched in 2015 by the Osborne Association’s New York Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents (NYCIP), SUSU began as a month-long effort to see and support children of incarcerated parents. SUSU is now a year-round effort led by the SUSU Youth Team and national partners, culminating in a month of action in October.
Why did we launch SUSU?
Despite the fact that one in 14 children experience parental incarceration, many remain unseen. This invisibility isolates and harms children and hinders service providers, educators, and communities from supporting them. Stigma, inaccurate stereotypes, and harmful narratives can further isolate children and families. SUSU aims to decrease stigma, build community, share supportive resources, and celebrate children who thrive and succeed when we SEE and SUPPORT them.
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​We encourage everyone to do the following:
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Sign up for the SUSU Network newsletter
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Hear from young people about how to support them and celebrate their creative talents
We encourage young people to follow SUSU to:​
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Follow us on Instagram and TikTok to be in community with others who have experienced parental incarceration. You are not alone!
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Engage with podcasts, art, and tips from young people.
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Access resources
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SUSU Month themes
2025: Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Children of Incarcerated Parents' Bill of Rights
2024: Ending Stigma
2023: Focus on a parent’s reentry, which can be joyous and challenging for children. We especially encourage those who work in the reentry field to follow SUSU month during October.
2022: Supporting children’s physical health and emotional wellbeing. We especially encourage those who work in health and mental health settings to follow us during October.
2021: Supporting children’s educational success and wellbeing from early childhood through college. See Action Steps for Educators.
2020: Supporting children’s educational success and wellbeing from early childhood through college. See 5 Tips for Educators.
2019: Importance of making visiting accessible and child-sensitive for both children of incarcerated parents and the incarcerated parent (s). See 5 Reasons to Support Visiting.
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NYCIP, coordinated by the Osborne Association, is a statewide partnership launched in 2006 of community and faith-based organizations, families with lived experience, and government agencies collaborating to envision a world that considers and safeguards children’s needs at every step of their parent’s involvement in the criminal legal system. We center the experiences of youth and families affected by parental incarceration and advocate for policies and practices that will turn the Children of Incarcerated Parents’ Bill of Rights into reality.