Purpose

Through the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program, 

FYSB awards grants to community organizations that 

provide mentors to children and youth with incarcerated 

parents. Each mentoring program is designed to ensure 

that mentors provide young people with safe and trusting relationships; healthy messages about life and social 

behavior; appropriate guidance from a positive adult role 

model; and opportunities for increased participation in 

education, civic service, and community activities.

The mission of the Family and Youth Services Bureau 

(FYSB) is to provide national leadership on youth and 

family issues, promote positive outcomes for children, 

youth, and families, and support comprehensive services and collaborations at the local, Tribal, State, and national levels. FYSB programs provide positive alternatives for youth, ensure their safety, and maximize their 

potential to take advantage of available opportunities. 

Services

Grant recipients provide services, both directly and in collaboration with other local agencies, to 

strengthen and support children of incarcerated parents and their families. This includes connecting children with their imprisoned parent, when appropriate. Grantees also cultivate mentors from 

within the child’s family and community through:

•	Recruiting. Grantees are required to recruit a diverse 

group of mentors who are committed to spending at 

least an hour a week with their mentee for at least a year. 

•	Screening. Grant recipients are required to screen 

volunteers extensively through appropriate reference 

checks, criminal background checks, and child and domestic abuse record checks, to ensure that they pose 

no safety risk to the young people.

•	Training. Mentors must attend an orientation and 

training in mentoring skills before being assigned to a 

young person. 

•	Monitoring and Evaluating. Grantees are required to 

provide ongoing support and oversight of the mentoring relationship to ensure that young people are 

receiving appropriate support and are benefiting from the mentor match. Outcomes for each 

participating youth are measured by such factors as academic achievement and avoidance of 

risky behaviors. 

Grantees also incorporate the Positive Youth Development, or PYD, approach into their programs. 

PYD suggests that the best way to prevent risky behavior is to help youth achieve their full potential. Youth development strategies focus on giving young people the chance to exercise leadership, 

build skills and become involved in their communities.

Mentoring Children of 

Prisoners Fact SheeT
History

Approximately two million children and youth in the United 

States have at least one parent in a correctional facility. In 

addition to suffering from the relationship disruption, these 

young people often struggle with the economic, social, and 

emotional burdens of the incarceration. Mentoring programs 

can help young people by reducing their first-time drug and 

alcohol use, improving their relationships and academic performance, and reducing the likelihood that they will initiate 

violence. Mentored young people also have opportunities to 

develop a trusting relationship with a supportive, caring adult 

in a stable environment that can promote healthy values and 

strong families.

FYSB began funding mentoring projects in 2003, under the 

provisions of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001 (Public Law 107–133). Congress reauthorized 

the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program through the 

Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 (Public 

Law 109-288). 

Grant Award Process

In FY 2010, FYSB awarded $49.3 million in 

funding to support 149 mentoring programs. 

Through the New Service Delivery Demonstration Program, it also supports the use of 

program vouchers to increase access to mentoring services nationwide.

FYSB solicits applications annually for the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program through 

funding announcements on the Grants.gov 

Web site at http://www.grants.gov. Grant 

awards are made on a competitive basis for a 

one-year budget period, for up to three years. 

National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth

P.O. Box 13505, Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505

TEL: 301.608.8098

FAX: 301.608.8721

Contact Us

Online

NCFY: ncfy.acf.hhs.gov FYSB: www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/

E-MAIL: ncfy@acf.hhs.gov

Mentoring Children of 

Prisoners Fact SheeT