Children of Incarcerated Parents and Foster Care

In 2009, more than 14,000 children in the U.S. entered foster care at least in part because of a parent’s incarceration. This number is likely even higher because of underreporting by states to the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office looked at this data, and at strategies 10 states use to support family ties in these situations. The strategies include caseworker training, helping inmates participate in child welfare hearings by phone or other means, special visitation hours and programs for children’s prison visits, video visitations, and interagency training and liaison positions between corrections and child welfare agencies.

The report’s recommendations include improving data collection, increasing state agencies’ awareness of the resources available to them, and helping states share promising practices.