Background Information
Information Packet: Children of Incarcerated Parents
National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/
Children of Incarcerated Parents Fact Sheet
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
http://www.fcnetwork.org/AECFChildren%20of%20Incarcerated%20Parents%20Factsheet.pdf
Intersection of Corrections and Child Welfare Fact Sheet
SFCCIP and Family-To-Family
http://www.f2f.ca.gov/res/pdf/IntersectionOfCorrections.pdf
Children with Incarcerated Parents: A list of Select Resources
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
http://www.fcnetwork.org/AECFResourceList.pdf
Support and Advocacy Materials
What do Children of Prisoners and their Caregivers Need?
The Children of Prisoners Library
http://www.fcnetwork.org/cpl/CPL203-WhatDoChildren.html
Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights
San Francisco’s Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership
http://www.sfcipp.org/
The Five Promises
America’s Promise Alliance
http://www.americaspromise.org/
Visiting Tips for Families: Supporting Children Visiting Their Parents
The Osborne Association
http://www.fcnetwork.org/training/BOR%205/participants-materials/osborne-tips.pdf
Tulsa Area Resources Specific to Children's Needs
Girl Scouts Beyond Bars Information
http://www.girlscoutseastok.org/mecgs/Project_MEND2.asp?SnID=1254731868
Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS)
http://www.bbbsok.org/tulsa
BBBS Amachi Program
http://www.bbbsok.org/tulsa/news/news/?month=02&year=2009
Volunteers of America Information
http://www.voaok.org/Services/YouthServices/tabid/3459/Default.aspx
New Hope Oklahoma Information
http://www.newhopeoklahoma.org/
Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries (CJAMM) Information
http://www.okumcministries.org/cjamm/
Resonance Information
http://www.resonancetulsa.org/index.htm
Camp Fire USA Green Country Council Information
http://www.tulsacampfire.org/Tulsa_Camp_Fire/Home.html
Grandparent and Caregiver Support and Area Resources
Grandparent Caregiver Support Group (Tulsa)
Tulsa Area Agency on Aging
http://www.cityoftulsa.org/community-programs/tulsa-agency-on-aging/services/grandparents.aspx
Grandparent Rights and Responsibilities
Dr. Tammy L. Henderson
Human Development & Family Science, Oklahoma State University
http://ches.okstate.edu/hdfs/content/view/61/51/
Support Services for Parents: Reentry, Rehabilitation, Rebuilding Families
Families in New Directions (FIND)
Family and Children's Services, Inc.
(918) 587-9471
An eight-week, interactive parent education group focusing on developing positive parent-child relationships in families with children identified with serious social-emotional challenges in the classroom. Therapeutic children's groups, meals and transportation are provided.
http://www.fcsok.org/?p=early_childhood_services
Parent and Caregiver Education and Support
How to explain…Jails and prisons…to children: A Caregiver’s Guide
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations and Friends Outside
http://www.f2f.ca.gov/res/pdf/HowToExplainJails.pdf
Incarcerated Parents Manual: Your Rights and Responsibilities
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
http://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/pubs/ipm.pdf
Fact Sheet for Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children
Oklahoma AARP
http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/general/kinship_care_2005_ok.pdf
State Service and Support Agencies
http://fcao.org/index.html
Oklahoma Department of Human Services: Foster Care Services
http://www.okdhs.org/programsandservices/foster/default.htm
Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA): SoonerCare
Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies
http://okacaa.org/
Community Building Resources
A City Platform: For Strengthening Families and Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth
The National League of Cities; Institute for Youth, Education and Families
http://www.nlc.org/IYEF/A_CITY_PLATFORM/index.aspx
Between Corrections and Child Welfare: Collaboration for Change, Part II
Family-To-Family: Tools for Rebuilding Foster Care – Partnerships
http://www.aecf.org/upload/publicationfiles/partnerships%20between%20corrections.pdf
Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents: A Toolkit for Senior Corps Directors
The Corporation for National & Community Service
http://nationalserviceresources.org/files/legacy/filemanager/download/learns/MCIP_Senior_Toolkit.pdf
Videos
Children of Incarcerated Parents: A Bill of Rights [DVD]
http://www.sfcipp.org/images/order_form.pdf
Children of Incarcerated Parents Forum [Online or DVD]
A presentation from the Washington State Public Affairs TV Network
http://www.tvw.org/media/mediaplayer.cfm?evid=2006060113B&bhcp=1
A Model for Social Justice: Collaboration Between Faith-Based and Community Organizations and Corrections [Satellite/Internet Broadcast]
http://nicic.gov/Library/022542
Children of Prisoners: Children of Promise [Videoconference Held June 18, 2003]
http://nicic.gov/Library/018895
Readings for Children, Families, and Advocates
My Daddy’s in Jail by Janet M. Bender, M. Ed.
http://www.youthlightbooks.com/products/395.html
An Inmate’s Daughter by Jan Walker
http://www.janwalker-writer.com/inmatesdaughter.shtml
All Alone in the World by Nell Bernstein
http://www.thenewpress.com/index.php?option=com_title&task=view_title&metaproductid=1274
Helping Traumatized Children Learn: Supportive School Environments for Children Traumatized by Family Violence
http://www.massadvocates.org/helping_traumatized_children_learn
Oklahoma Study of Incarcerated Mothers and their Children: Phase I & II
http://www.okkids.org/documents/OK%20Study%20of%20Incarcerated%20Women.pdf
Add the link to this site to your signature on Emails
An easy way to pass this information around is to include the link in the automated signature that appears at the end of all of your outgoing emails. This gives others an opportunity to view the toolkit, learn about the issue, and pass it along to their friends, family, and associates. Copy and Paste the following: http://okcoip.blogspot.com/
Share this information with loved ones, friends, or others impacted by incarceration
Support and understanding are invaluable to persons dealing with the grief associated with incarceration. To combat the stigma of incarceration on undeserving children and families, address the issue with openness and a caring attitude.
Start a reading club or suggest a COIP reading to your existing group
The literature on children of incarcerated parents concerns not just those children and families with an incarcerated loved one. The social, economic, and political implications of incarceration affect our entire community. Nell Bernstein’s book, All Alone in the World, introduces the impact that incarceration has on a child at each phase in the cycle of incarceration. This, and other books, will provide insight into a world “unseen” by a majority of our community, will empower individuals to make informed choices about legislation, and will strengthen the advocacy needed for the children and families coping with the affects of incarceration.
Present this information to a local community group
The fact sheets, videos, and handouts included in this toolkit will provide a powerful message to those in your community. To advocate for the needs of children and families of incarcerated parents, we must provide accurate and sound information to educate those who are misinformed about the implications of our current criminal justice system. Make sure to preview the videos you wish to share before showing them to your group to ensure that the content is appropriate for the age and nature of the group.
Present resources to your local school districts to inform initiatives
Children with incarcerated parents face challenges unlike many other students. The resilience of these children and families is immense but often times they do not have a strong enough voice to stand up by themselves. By utilizing the resources in this toolkit you can make connections with your community and provide powerful testimony to your school district on behalf of these children to better provide them with the needed support services and advocacy they need to be successful.
Host a benefit social event
The organizations that serve these children in our community are also in need of advocacy and support (listed under Tulsa Area Resources). Without support from the greater community, they would not be able to provide these children with the great educational, recreational, and social enrichment programs that they offer. Your event could premier one, or all of the agencies with services specifically for children of incarcerated parents. Informing others will help to invite more people to join the allegiance. You could have your attendees sign up to be mentors, recruit neighbors and/or co-workers to become advocates and share this toolkit, or raise funds for a particular organization.
Present information at resource fairs or community events
Throughout the year there are many information gathering events that bring people in the community together to share with one another issues and programs that are in their area. Host a booth or table and make simple black and white handouts with some powerful statements from the facts provided by these resources. Be there to talk to others about this issue, ask them their concerns, and help to answer their questions. You do not have to be an expert on this issue, the toolkit provides the research, and you provide the means by which others can access, learn, and grow from it.
