Family Resources

Resources to see and support children of incarcerated parents

Resources on Visiting

Stronger Together Handbooks

These handbooks focus on the experiences and needs of children with an incarcerated parent and provide essential information for caregivers about preparing children for visits and more.

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New York State DOCCS' Resources

Information about visiting and communicating with someone incarcerated in a New York State prison.

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Best Practices for Child Friendly Video Visiting

This handbook focuses on how to make the experiences with virtually visiting an incarcerated parent smoother for everyone in the process.

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Video Visiting in NY Prisons

The Osborne Association hosts Video Visits for family members of those incarcerated in select prisons at their offices in NYC, Buffalo, and Newburgh.

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Five Reasons to Support Visiting

Learn about why it is important to visit and join us in using humanizing language by saying "visits" rather than "visitation."

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Tip Sheet for Incarcerated Parents: Planning for a Visit from Your Child/Children

Share with incarcerated moms and dads to help them prepare for visits.

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New York State DOCCS’ Visiting Schedule by Facility

Find the visiting schedule and address for each prison facility in New York State

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Information about visiting Rikers Island in NYC

Learn about in-person, virtual visits, and the Rikers visiting bus schedule.

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Parent-Child Visiting Practices in Prisons and Jails
Urban Institute

Information on best practices for supporting parent-child visiting in prisons and jails

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Speaking to Children about Incarceration

Hard Conversations: How to Talk to Kids About an Incarcerated Loved One

by Melissa Guida-Richards, Everymom

Learn tips for speaking to children about the incarceration of a parent or family member.

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Recommended Books For and About Children of Incarcerated Parents

Find age-appropriate recommended books for children of incarcerated parents

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NY State Council on Children and Families

Statewide Coordinating Council on Children with Incarcerated Parents

Learn more here

National Resource Center for Children and Families of the Incarcerated at Rutgers University

NRCCFI is the oldest and largest organization in the U.S. focused on children and families of the incarcerated and programs that serve them

Learn more here

New York State Kinship Navigator

Information, referral, and advocacy program for kinship caregivers

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Sesame Street Resources for Parents and Caregivers

Find tips, videos, storybooks that adults can use to help kids understand incarceration and the changes it brings

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Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights

Developed by the San Francisco Partnership for Children of Incarcerated Parents as a roadmap to safeguard children whose parents are involved in the criminal justice system

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Youth.gov

Federal website of national resources

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Words Matter Guide

Join our #WordsMatter campaign to use humanizing language to refer to PEOPLE and PARENTS who are incarcerated or have come home, and replace "visitation" with "visits" or "visiting"

Learn more here

A Call to Action: Safeguarding New York’s Children of Incarcerated Parents

Recommendations for how to improve the lives and outcomes of New York’s children who have justice involved parents

Download here