Nicola Sturgeon urged to back impact assessments for families of prisoners

Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to back a proposal to introduce child and family impact assessments when a parent is sent to prison.

An amendment to the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill that would allow an assessment to be carried out when a parent is remanded in custody or handed a prison sentence was backed by the Justice Committee earlier this week.

An estimated 27,000 children in Scotland are affected by the imprisonment of a parent, though there is currently no robust form of identification or assessment in place for these children.

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Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale used FMQs to call on the First Minister to “respect the committee” and ensure the SNP get behind the amendment.

“The First Minister and I both talk a lot about closing the attainment gap,” she said. “The children who are affected by parental imprisonment are about as far on the wrong side of that gap as it is possible to be.

“They are three times more likely than average to have severe mental health problems, and the statistics tell us that, without help and support, more than 50 per cent of them will end up in jail.”

Sturgeon said the Scottish Government would give “full consideration” to the amendment, which was backed by five votes to four in committee.

“We will consider whether it best meets our objective of helping the children of those who are sent to prison,” she told MSPs.

The First Minister pointed to a decision earlier this year by Justice Secretary Michael Matheson to shelve plans for a new women’s prison in Inverclyde.

She added: “All of us want to make sure that we are identifying, and ensuring support for, all children whose mothers or fathers have to serve prison sentences.”

Martin Crewe, director of Barnardo’s Scotland, said: “We know from our work with families that children affected by parental imprisonment are an extremely vulnerable group who often suffer in silence, unseen and unheard.

“Too often the voices of children are lost in a justice system geared towards adults, this group of children tend to fall between the gaps of statutory services and their needs too often remain unmet.”