Action for
Children and Families
of Prisoners
We are a network focused on children and families affected by imprisonment. Our members include community-based organisations, researchers, and advocacy groups. We aim to map current knowledge and supports, and disseminate best practices and actions for change.
The estimated number of children with a parent in prison on any given day in Ireland
The estimated number of children who experience parental imprisonment each year in Ireland

NETWORK NEWS
The Network raises concerns in a letter to the Irish Prison Service
In a letter dated 9 September 2023, the Action for Children and Families Network (the Network) have written to the Director General of the Irish Prison Service, Caron McCaffrey. The Network raised the following concerns and posed questions to Ms McCaffery: Families...
Progressing the collaborative book project
On 31 August 2023, members of the Action for Children and Families Network (the Network) involved in the collaborative book project steering committee with Kids' Own Publishing met for the second time to progress the project. Kids' Own Publishing hope the project will...
Collaborative book project commences
On Tuesday 25 July 2023, members of the steering committee of the collaborative book project between Kid's Own Publishing and Irish Penal Reform Trust’s (IPRT) with support of the Action for Children and Families Network met for the first time. The book project...
Response to cancelled prison visits in Castlerea Prison
On 4 July 2023, in response to a parliamentary question by Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan on the ability of prisoners in Castlerea Prison to receive visits from family members, the Minister for Justice and Equality explained that visits to imprisoned people in the...
Children’s Book Project with Kids’ Own in partnership with IPRT
Kids’ Own and Irish Penal Reform Trust's (IPRT) new Children and Families Initiative are working in partnership on a new creative project for children and young people who have experience of having a family member in prison. On 14 June 2023, we were delighted to hear...
IPRT become members of Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) Network
The Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) Network General Assembly meeting took place in Limerick on 9 June 2023 after the COPE conference, which was run in conjunction with Bedford Row Family Project. At the General Assembly meeting, a vote took place to accept Irish...
Supported by
the Katharine Howard Foundation
and St Stephen’s Green Trust