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Family Resources

Resources to see and support children of incarcerated parents

Resources on Visiting

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.

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.

New York State DOCCS’ Visiting Schedule by Facility

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

Rikers Island Visiting Bus Schedule

The City provides free visitor transportation to and from Rikers

Parent-Child Visiting Practices in Prisons and Jails
Urban Institute

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

Stronger Together Handbooks

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

New York State DOCCS Visitor and Family Resources

This handbook was designed to help family members understand more about the New York State correctional system when visiting an incarcerated family member.

NYC Department of Correction Visiting Guide

Find general information about visits in New York State jails

Video Visiting in New York,   Osborne Association

Video visits are available in some NYS prisons and Rikers Island jails. Video visits help children maintain connections with their parent in between in-person visits

Five Reasons to Support Visiting

Learn about why it is important to visit and join us in using humanizing language... we invite you to say "visits" rather than "visitation." 

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.

Recommended Books For and About Children of Incarcerated Parents

Find age-appropriate recommended books for children of incarcerated parents

NY State Council on Children and Families

Statewide Coordinating Council on Children with Incarcerated Parents

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

Sesame Street Workshop: Incarceration 

Find tips, videos, storybooks and more resources to assist children in learning about parental incarceration

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

Youth.gov

Federal website of national resources

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"

Call to Action: Policies and Practices 

SUSU 2021 Youth Listening Session for Educators

Youth share recommendations for supporting them in educational settings and beyond

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

NY Children of Incarcerated Parents Resources Fact Sheet

List of New York resources supporting children of incarcerated parents

New York State Kinship Navigator

Information, referral, and advocacy program for kinship caregivers

Be Sure Your Child is Cared for And Safe, NY Courts

Options that help parents plan for their children’s care while incarcerated

A review of research that shows that most children of incarcerated parents can thrive when given the right supports

Child Welfare
You Don't Have to Stop Being A Parent While Incarcerated

Learn about the rights of incarcerated parents in New York State who have an open child welfare case. 

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"

SUSU 2019 Youth Listening Session Summary

Summary of the See Us, Support Us Youth Listening Session convened in NYC during SUSU 2019. We heard from 8 brave young people about their experiences and recommendations for addressing the unique needs of children whose parents are in the criminal justice system

Creating Affirming Spaces

These guiding tips will help you create a safer space where children and families feel comfortable expressing their emotions without feeling judged, blamed, or labeled.

Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents Model Policy

A report and implementation toolkit on a model policy from the International Association of the Chiefs of Police, in conjunction with the Bureau of Justice Assistance

NY State Council on Children and Families

Statewide Coordinating Council on Children with Incarcerated Parents

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

Child Welfare
Identifying and Supporting Children of Incarcerated Parents in Child Welfare

This report offers recommendations to guide the field in better attending to the needs children of incarcerated parents in the child welfare system.

Youth.gov

Federal website of national resources

Protective and Promotive Factors to Support Youth Well-Being

An interactive guide on strengthening protective factors that increase the likelihood that youth develop into healthy, thriving adults. 

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