Child impact after a dad’s arrest, court appearance, community sentence, imprisonment or release is the focus here, with child-friendly wording that recognises sadness, grief, fear, shame, anger, guilt, relief and feeling overwhelmed. The pages reassure children that what happened is not their fault, that they are not alone, and that talking or drawing can help them explain what they need.
Children and young people whose dad is involved with the criminal justice system are the main audience, especially when an adult is helping them complete it. Parents, carers, social workers, family support practitioners, school pastoral staff and prison visitor centre teams may find it useful for opening careful conversations with kids or teenagers after an arrest, court appearance, community sentence, prison sentence or release.
The assessment begins by naming feelings children may have when a father is arrested or sent to prison, including confusion, worry, embarrassment, social isolation and feeling burdened by secrets. It uses direct quotes from children to make difficult emotions feel normal and gives permission for different family members to feel differently.
Part 1 gathers basic information about the child, including name, address, school or nursery, siblings, adults they live with and the person supporting them to fill in the form. It also includes gentle identity prompts such as what makes them happiest, what they like, who knows them well and what they would like when they are older.
Part 2 moves into what has happened, starting with the section My dad was arrested. The prompts ask how the child feels, what questions they have, who could help, how they are coping on a 1 to 10 scale, and what they would like their dad, mum or carer to know. The structure could be used in one-to-one support sessions, at home with a trusted adult, or as part of child-centred assessment and planning.
