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DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR SOCIAL WORKERS

Video: Supporting Youth with Incarcerated Parents

http://www.YOUTH.gov/COIP

WHO CAN USE THIS GUIDE? 

This discussion guide is designed for social workers who may come in contact with children of incarcerated 

parents. It is intended for the larger world of social work, including those who work in clinical settings, 

community and faith based organizations, child welfare, juvenile justice, adult corrections, schools, etc.

This guide was developed to accompany the video, 

Supporting Youth with Incarcerated Parents: For 

Social Workers, created by American Institutes for 

Research (AIR) for the Federal Interagency Council on 

Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry and youth.gov 

to highlight issues affecting youth who have or have had 

an incarcerated parent. Content for the video builds on 

learning from previous work, including a youth listening 

session about the needs of youth with an incarcerated 

parent and their families and the effects of incarceration 

on everyday life.

Content for the video was informed by focus group 

phone calls with youth, social workers, and experts who 

work with youth experiencing hardships due to having 

an incarcerated parent. AIR partnered with Echoes of 

Incarceration and Osborne Association of New York to 

record the featured youth, social workers, and experts.

In an effort to extend this learning opportunity, we 

have developed a list of discussion questions to foster 

positive conversations. These conversations are 

intended to expand awareness and understanding 

of the needs of children and youth with incarcerated 

parents, expand on best practices to better address 

their needs, and explore ways to promote improved 

outcomes for these youth.

ACTIVITY IDEAS

Option One: The discussion 

questions can be reviewed and 

deliberated as a large group, or the 

staff could be divided into smaller 

groups. In smaller groups, each 

group or table could take a different 

question to discuss then share their 

conversation with the larger group 

promoting peer-to-peer learning.

Option Two: The learning 

opportunity can be extended over 

several meetings, allowing one 

question to be studied in depth 

by staff each month. Using the 

additional resources found on page 

2, administrators/staff may want 

to extend this learning through the 

promotion of individual and group 

reading activities.
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Increase awareness and understanding of 

the experiences and issues faced by youth 

with incarcerated parents.

2. Identify appropriate practices and strategies 

that may benefit youth with incarcerated 

parents and address the issues they face 

(e.g., trust, abandonment, guilt, stigma, 

secrecy, relational struggles, understanding 

the justice system, as well as strengths such 

as resiliency and ability to forgive).

3. Highlight the role of trauma and traumainformed practices and strategies for 

addressing the needs of youth with 

incarcerated parents.

4. Identify ideas for potential advocacy for 

practice and policy change within your 

organization that may impact youth with 

incarcerated parents.

5. Identify ways to promote positive outcomes 

for youth whose parents are absent due to 

incarceration.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO EXTEND THE LEARNING

Federal Youth Topic on Children of Incarcerated Parents: https://youth.gov/coip 

• Video Vignettes (Four youth share their experiences with having an incarcerated parent): 

https://youth.gov/coip/video

• Youth Tip Sheet (Advice for youth from youth): 

https://youth.gov/youth-topics/children-of-incarcerated-parents/listening-sessions/tip-sheet-for-youth-coip

• Mentor Tip Sheet (How mentors can contribute to positive outcomes): 

https://youth.gov/youth-topics/children-of-incarcerated-parents/federal-tools-resources/tip-sheet-mentors

• Provider Tip Sheet (Advice for service providers from youth): 

https://youth.gov/youth-topics/children-of-incarcerated-parents/listening-sessions/tip-sheet-for-providers-coip

• Infographic (Facts and statistics showing the impact of incarceration): 

https://youth.gov/sites/default/files/COIPInfographic_508.pdf

Felitti et al. (1998). Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of 

Death in Adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245-258.

National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated: 

https://nrccfi.camden.rutgers.edu/

Osborne Association: Programs and Services for Families Affected by the Justice System: 

http://www.osborneny.org/ 

Poehlmann, J., & Eddy, J. M. (2013). Relationship processes and resilience in children with incarcerated parents. 

Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. 

San Francisco Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership: Bill of Rights:

http://www.sfcipp.org/download-the-bill-of-rights-1

youth.gov: Webinar on Trauma-Informed Approaches (Experts and youth discuss the importance of traumainformed care): 

https://youth.gov/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/trauma-informed-approaches

PLANNING TIPS

• Decide who will facilitate the 

conversation. 

• Ideally, the chosen facilitator should 

review the discussion prompts and 

additional resources (included below) 

ahead of time and consider adjusting 

them to meet their setting and 

audience needs.

• Plan for participants to watch the full 

video (approximately 25 minutes long). 

• Allow about 30 minutes to discuss the 

prompts. If the group is larger than 10 

people, consider breaking into small 

groups. 

• The facilitator may need to answer 

general questions about the video 

content prior to discussion prompts. 
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DISCUSSION PROMPTS

1. Identify two or more facts or data points that you learned through viewing this video. Did any of 

these surprise you? Were any particularly meaningful to you? Did any change your outlook about 

your role?

Remember: 2.7 million young people have an incarcerated parent. That is the equivalent of 1 in 28 youth.

2. How might you adjust your workplace environment or share information to help youth with 

incarcerated parents know they are not alone? Name 3 to 5 specific activities that may help 

increase awareness among youth and staff that there are youth in the community with an 

incarcerated parent. 

Remember: Youth with incarcerated parents often feel alone or that they are the only one with an 

incarcerated parent. Balance support without “outing” youth who do not want it to be known. 

3. Regardless of where you work, you have the capacity to be influential in altering policy and 

practices to better address the needs of youth with incarcerated parents. Identify 3 or 4 policies or 

practices in your workplace that might be reconsidered or added in order to be more inclusive of 

these youth. Share examples of language choices that are effective and inclusive of youth with an 

incarcerated parent.

Remember: YOU can be a powerful and trusted adult for youth with an incarcerated parent.

4. Knowing a youth may have visited a parent at a facility recently, how can you help manage his or 

her feelings and behaviors as he or she adjusts and transitions back into a familiar routine?

Remember: The youth may be dealing with the many feelings that come after a visit, including the pain of 

leaving a parent behind. Try to empathize and provide extra support of the parent-child relationship in the 

days that follow a visit as well as throughout the year.

5. In your role, if you learn that there is a youth whose parent is absent from the home due to 

incarceration, what are some trauma-informed* approaches, supports, or strategies you might 

use to promote positive interactions and outcomes with the 1) youth, and 2) youth’s caregiver?

Remember: Approaches may differ depending on each staff person’s role in the organization.

* A program, organization, or system that is trauma-informed realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential 

paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system; 

and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seeks to actively resist retraumatization. (Source: SAMHSA)

Trauma Resources

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and 

Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4884. Rockville, MD: Author. 

DeCandia, C. J., & Guarino, K. (2015). Trauma-informed care: An ecological response. Journal of Child and 

Youth Care Work.

Refer to page two for additional resources focusing on supporting youth with an incarcerated parent.