Children of Incarcerated

Parents (CHIP)


  • CHIP Sites
  • Related Sites
  • Why Mentor?
  • Facts About Kids
  • Resources

 

AmeriCorps Service Sites

Friends Outside * Covenant to Care for Children * St. Katherine * Big Brothers Big Sisters, Match Support * Big Brothers Big Sisters, School Site Coordinator * Baltimore Rising * Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children * Good Shepherd School

Friends Outside - Watsonville, CA

Program Assistant

Friends Outside is a volunteer-based organization providing resources and support to people in jail or prison, and their families. The main goals of Friends Outside are to reduce the trauma of incarceration, encourage positive community reentry, and reduce the likelihood of returning to jail for adults in Santa Cruz County.

The Program Assistant will be responsible for:

  • recruiting, training, and coordinating volunteer mentors who provide direct services to children of incarcerated parents 
  • recruiting children via parents to be mentored 
  • maintaining volunteer and client records
  • coordinating periodic volunteer mentor evaluations
  • preparing monthly reports for the program manager 
Activities will also include attending advisory board meetings to consult about issues and working with other community programs for trainings and to coordinate services. 

www.scvolunteercenter.com/friendsoutside/

 

Covenant to Care for Children - Hartford, CT

Mentoring Outreach Program Coordinator

Covenant to Care for Children mobilizes and channels the generosity of caring and faithful people to advocate for, mentor, and provide direct assistance to Connecticut’s children and youth who are neglected, abused, or at-risk. Reach One Youth and My Mentor and Me (M3) programs match youth with loving mentors. These programs create partnerships between youth, mentors, congregations, and the broader community by providing opportunities to nurture and cultivate the resilient spirit found in all youth. M3 specifically works with children whose parents are incarcerated to provide support needed for these at risk youth.

The Mentoring Outreach Program Coordinator will be involved in outreach, program operation and management, recordkeeping, and other program activities. The coordinator will:

  • actively recruit mentors through faith-based and community organizations
  • work collaboratively with diverse faith-based organizations and individuals 
  • educate and provide resources to faith and community groups on topics such as child welfare, abuse, neglect, foster care, and adoption
  • take part in ongoing management of mentoring programs
  • track and evaluate program activities

www.covenanttocare.org

 

Saint Katherine of Siena School - Baltimore, MD

Mentoring Program Developer

NDA members have worked at Saint Katherine School as teachers' aids in the lower and upper schools. Through this work, NDA has recognized the need for mentoring. The CHIP member at Saint Katherine School will develop a mentoring program.

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Maryland - Baltimore, MD

Match Support Specialist

Mentoring Match Specialist will work as a full-time to provide match support to ensure child safety, positive impacts for youth, constructive and satisfying relationships between children and volunteers, and a strong sense of affiliation with the agency on the part of volunteers. The Match Support Specialist is responsible for providing high-level customer service throughout the effective implementation of the volunteer and child enrollment and matching process in accordance with agency standards and volunteer options.

This person should have:

  • Education or work experience in social services, human resources or related field
  • Demonstrated work experience working with both child and adult populations and understanding of family dynamics
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills reflecting solid customer service and high-level interviewing skills
  • Ability to: form appropriate relationships; relate well in multicultural environments; maintain confidentiality throughout daily operations; effectively collaborate with other volunteer match staff; use time effectively; and focus on details
  • Proficiency in Word, Outlook, and Excel.
  • Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends
  • Must have own reliable mode of transportation and use to perform certain job requirements.

www.biglittle.org

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Maryland - Baltimore, MD

School Site Coordinator

The School Site Coordinator will assist with programs at various schools in central Maryland. The coordinator will develop enrichment activities and materials to support mentor-mentee pairs. The coordinator will also assist with managing a new school research study.

www.biglittle.org

 

Baltimore Rising - Baltimore, MD

 

Baltimore Rising works through the governer's office to support mentoring programs in Baltimore City. The AmeriCorps member will work with one of these mentoring programs doing a variety of tasks. Check back soon for more information!

www.ci.baltimore.md.us/government/baltimorerising/programs.php

 

Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children - New Orleans, LA

 

This position is a joint position with Boys Hope, Girls Hope in New Orleans. The member will work with youth on a daily basis as well as supporting programing at FFLIC. The applicant should be motivative, creative, flexible, and have leadership and organizational experience in mentoring or educational programs. Check back soon for more information!

fflic.org

 

Good Shepherd School - New Orleans, LA

 

At this position, the Notre Dame AmeriCorps member will work with students individually and in groups, in and out of classroom settings. This member will also be in charge of developing a mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents at Good Shepherd School. Check back soon for more information!

www.thegoodshepherdschool.org

 

Related Sites

Check out these other placements where Notre Dame-AmeriCorps members do related work.

 

Why Mentor?

All children need positive and supportive adults. Children with incarcerated parents are especially in need of caring adults in their lives because of the trauma they have experienced. Good mentors can help children improve social and cognitive skills by building trust and strengthening personal relationships. Mentors can be role models, confidants, and emotionally supportive advocates.

All it takes is one hour, once a week, for one year.

 

 

Facts about Children of the Incarcerated

Approximately two point four million children in the United States have at least one incarcerated parent.
-All Alone in the World, Nell Bernstein

 

Seven million children have parents under correctional supervision: in prison, in jail, or on probation or parole.
-Child Welfare League of America

 

Children whose parents are in prison are at risk for low performance in school, teen pregnancy, and drug abuse.
-Child Welfare League of America

 

A tenth of these children will be detained before they turn eighteen, and about half of the boys whose parents are incarcerated will be incarcerated themselves.
-All Alone in the World, Nell Bernstein

 

Bill of Rights for Children of Incarcerated Parents

  1. I have the right to be kept safe and informed at the time of my parent’s arrest.
  2. I have the right to be heard when decisions are made about me;
  3. I have the right to be considered when decisions are made about my parent;
  4. I have the right to be well-cared for in my parent’s absence;
  5. I have the right to speak with, see, and touch my parent;
  6. I have the right to support as I face my parent’s incarceration;
  7. I have the right to not be judged, blamed or labeled because my parent is incarcerated;
  8. I have the right to have a lifelong relationship with my parent.

 

Books

Excerpt from Nell Bernstein's book,
All Alone in the World: Children of the Incarcerated
Bernstein, Nell. All Alone in the World Children of the Incarcerated.  New York: The New Press, 2005.

Summary of Jean Rhodes's book,
Stand By Me: The Risks and Rewards of Mentoring Today's Youth
Rhodes, Jean E. Stand By Me: The Risks and Rewards of Mentoring Today’s Youth.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002.

Articles

“Partnership Between Corrections and Child Welfare, Part Two: Collaboration for Change,” Annie E. Casey Foundation, March 2002: 8.

“Understanding and Supporting Foster Children with Incarcerated Parents,” Jordan Institute for Families, January 2002.
http://www.practicenotes.org/vol7_no1/support_children_incarparents.htm

Other

Judith Tannenbaum's Webpage and Blog
Judith Tannenbaum is a poet living in California. She has several years' experience teaching poetry and writing at San Quentin State Prison in California.