With research supported by SHINE for Kids, the Monash University report Living with a parent in prison: Learning from young people, released on Friday, provides a snapshot of the experiences of this “disadvantaged and overlooked group of children”, according to a SHINE spokesperson.

SHINE for Kids is a national charity working with children whose parents are in prison. The spokesperson said the report will play a crucial role in guiding advocacy by presenting a perspective that has been missing until now.

In the past decade, only three studies have heard directly from the children of prisoners. As a result, their voice has been largely absent in research and policy development, the spokesperson claimed.

An estimated 40,000 children in Australia have a parent in prison on any given day. This number is estimated as no formal process exists to identify and support these children.

SHINE for Kids CEO Julie Hourigan said this number of children “could fill a stadium”, but support is sparse and ad hoc, despite concern for them being significant enough to warrant recent parliamentary inquiries in NSW and Victoria.

“Opportunities to identify and support children are being missed from the time of a parent’s arrest right through to sentencing and at school,” Hourigan said.

“This report highlights these missed chances by sharing children’s reflections on the people they wish could have better understood or helped them.”

The important role that could be played by teachers was highlighted by children in the study, beginning with simply noticing that something might be worrying them.

“[If] your parent is in jail, and the teacher doesn’t know, and they ask you to answer a question and you weren’t listening … they could just go on to someone else … instead of saying ‘you should have paid attention,’” one child said.

The experiences of children canvassed in the study confirmed what previous research shows: that it falls primarily to the extended family to manage the fallout when a parent is incarcerated and that many families do not have the support they need.

“I was in and out of foster care. And my uncle, he’d take me now and then, when he can. But he’d put me back in [Foster Care],” another child said.

The children, aged between 11 and 15 years old, who were consulted for the study during focus groups conducted by Monash University’s Associate Professor Catherine Flynn, offered significant insight into what can be done differently to support them.

“One thing that would be helpful is probably [Police] taking that kid into the room talking to them … and keeping their mind off the fact … so that kid doesn’t have to see [their parent arrested],” one child in the focus groups offered.

The findings both reinforce what is already known about children affected by parental imprisonment, and offer a nuanced, child-focused perspective, according to SHINE.

Associate Professor Catherine Flynn, also from Monash University, said it is clear that children’s thoughts and views reflect what researchers and advocates have been saying for a long time, that they need more support from the moment a parent is arrested to alleviate stress on already-stressed families, and for children to be seen and supported via existing systems, including educators, police, and social services. 

“The children have said they want to be treated with respect and be better understood by the people they come into contact with during this difficult time,” Hourigan said.

“They mainly want to be heard. It’s not a large ask.”

The study is part of continuing research into the flow-on effects of the justice system in the community, with carers surveyed for a report released in 2023, Mapping the needs and experiences of children affected by parental imprisonment: A national survey.

Another study in its planning stages is being undertaken to build upon this research and inform future policy recommendations to ensure that they are based on a fully formed understanding of the experiences of children and families.

To access the full report, click here and a summary of the findings and recommendations can be found here.