Children of Incarcerated Parents (COIP) | Incarceration

This webpage from Sesame Street provides a variety of useful tools and resources for people working with children of incarcerated parents, including awareness videos and mobile applications, tip sheets for parents and caregivers, and activity sheets for children. 
Visit the Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration webpage.

This toolkit for educators and caregivers, developed by the Idaho Criminal Justice Commission, provides information on how to respond to children’s toughest questions about the incarceration of their parent from arrest to release. 
Download Parents Behind Bars: Answers to Children’s Difficult Questions.

This video from Hear Us explains the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness, with special emphasis on educating incarcerated parents on how to advocate for their children’s education during periods of incarceration.
Visit the REACH webpage.

The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated, based at Rutgers University-Camden seeks to raise awareness about the needs and concerns of the children of the incarcerated and their families by disseminating accurate and relevant information and research, guiding the development of family strengthening policy and practice, equipping people working in the field with needed information and resources, and including families in defining the issues and designing solutions. 
Visit the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated website.

This guide from the Annie E. Casey Foundation provides information for child welfare agencies and caseworkers on working with incarcerated parents and their children. This primer aims to familiarize child welfare professionals with the impact of incarceration on children and provide child welfare and correctional systems with the information necessary to help improve permanency outcomes for children.
Visit the When a Parent is Incarcerated: A Primer for Social Workers webpage.

Youth.gov is the U.S. government website that helps interested stakeholders create, maintain, and strengthen effective youth programs. The youth.gov COIP webpage provides information for people working with children of incarcerated parents, including child welfare caseworkers, school employees, law enforcement and corrections personnel, and parents and caregivers. 
Visit the Youth.gov COIP webpage.
Download the Youth.gov Tip Sheet for Providers: Supporting Children Who Have an Incarcerated Parent.
Download the Youth.gov Tip Sheet for Teachers: Supporting Children Who Have an Incarcerated Parent.
Download the Youth.gov Tip Sheet for Youth: Youth Supporting Fellow Youth Who Have an Incarcerated Parent.

This form from Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS) may be used to authorize the enrollment of a minor in school by grandparents and other relatives who are raising another relative’s child without having legal custody or guardianship. Other states may wish to use this form as a guide for developing their own caregiver affidavit.
Download the Delaware Relative Caregivers’ School Authorization Affidavit.

This sample packet from Adrian Public Schools in Adrian, MI, provides information to assist parents facing incarceration with making appropriate arrangements for their children. Included in the packet are a checklist of tasks for parents facing incarceration, a list of frequently asked questions, a blank power of attorney form, a sample completed power of attorney form, and a flyer about the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education program.
Download the packet.