Children Heard and Seen have released a new video which is a snapshot of the work they do. The images are drawn by the children and give an insight into their world.
In 2015 there were 95,759 children separated from their parent by imprisonment in the UK. These children are innocent yet they suffer for their parent’s crimes. Children of prisoners can be found in every neighbourhood, ward, district and county across the country.
Children Heard and Seen is a charity, supported by BCF, that works to identify these children, often their parent’s sentence is hidden from school and their friends. They then are supported with mentoring and targeted group activities to understand their situation and achieve their potential.
65% of boys who have a parent in prison go on to be offenders themselves. Therefore it is crucial that these children are supported to mitigate this and reduce crime nationally. Adam, one of the children who Children Heard and Seen works with wrote his story for us:
I was 18 months old when both my parents were sent to prison, my Nan and Gramp looked after me and my older brother from then on. At school I didn’t want my friends to know about my parents, I was embarrassed and scared that they wouldn’t want to be my friend if they knew my secret.
I used to get upset about not having my parents around; occasionally I would get to visit my Dad but only a few times a year. I was so confused by all the different emotions I had inside of me and I didn’t know how to deal with them.
I would get angry and often felt like no one listened to me. I started telling friends about my parents when I was about 9 years old and they told other people at school. Soon I was being bullied and people would tease me about my parents. It was horrible; all I wanted was someone to talk to.
Now I’m 13 and 6 months ago my Nan heard about Children Heard and Seen, they have given me a mentor. His name is Luke and we meet every week to talk and play PlayStation and football in the park. It’s great! He has helped me understand that just because my parents are in prison I don’t have to follow in their footsteps. I can be whatever I want. I’ve been able to meet other children in the same situation as me and I enjoy talking to them, as we understand how each other feels.
