For over 140 years, Spurgeons has worked on behalf of vulnerable children to strive to ensure they can live their lives free from neglect, abuse and exploitation. Staff are committed to providing the support that will enable these children to enjoy their childhood and fulfil their true potential.

The charity has a number of ongoing projects and currently works in visitor's centres at nine prisons.  Working with relevant agencies, Spurgeons ensures that a child visiting a relative in prison will receive additional support once the prison visit is over, and to help children to deal with the challenges prison life can bring for the entire family.

The 999 Club runs two centres, both in the London area, which provide a wide range of support to vulnerable individuals; in particular, they aim to help those who have mental health problems, are suffering with drug or alcohol addiction, and those who are homeless. It has an open door policy, offering assistance in any circumstance to those who need it most.

Additionally, The 999 Club also runs a small nursery at one of its centres for the children of individuals with considerable social problems. The nursery provides a stable environment for the children, whilst allowing parents the time they desperately need to overcome these issues.

Send Family Link is a registered charity providing support services for families visiting women in custody at HMP Send, with a particular focus on children with a mother in prison. The aims are to reduce the emotional stress of visiting a loved one in prison and to help families maintain relationships during a prison sentence.

Nearly half of all prisoners lose contact with their families during a prison sentence. The Send Family Link volunteers and supporters make a real difference to families with a loved one in prison by helping to make the experience of visiting prison a positive one. Send Family Link provides supervised play activities for children during prison visits, advice and information for families, and refreshments. They also run special Family Days for mothers in prison to spend quality time with their children.
 

Risk and protective factors in the resettlement of imprisoned fathers with their families by the Ormiston Children and Families Trust and the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge is a recent study in the UK and Europe which investigates risk and protective factors in the resettlement of imprisoned fathers and their families. The research aims to assist the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and third sector organisations working to support families to develop more effective interventions for imprisoned fathers, their (ex)partners and their children.

Action for Prisoners' Families is the national membership organisation representing the needs of organisations working directly with families of prisoners across England and Wales. Action for Prisoners' Families represent the views of their members provides support to existing and new services. The organisation believes that families should not be discriminated against because of having someone in prison.

The Mental Health Foundation provides information, carries out research, campaigns and works to improve services for anyone affected by mental health problems, whatever their age and wherever they live. Our research, service development, policy and public and patient involvement teams work across public mental health and health promotion, mental health problems and severe mental illness.

This research examines the cost-effectiveness (in terms of impact on crime and health care) of substance misuse treatment for young people. It concludes that "the immediate and long-term benefits of specialist substance misuse treatment for young people are likely to significantly outweigh the cost of providing this treatment".

Evaluation of the Family Pathfinders’ Programme, which pilots new ways of multi-agency working to support families with complex problems such as poverty, domestic abuse, poor mental health and substance misuse. The emerging findings of this programme provide practical examples of how local authorities can restructure service provision and develop new new working practices in response to the challenge of improving outcomes for these families.

The research explores the views and perspectives of family members of substance users on the relationship between alcohol, drugs and domestic abuse. It highlights the need for support and resources of family members and makes recommendations for policy and practice.

This research examines the influence of family during childhood in forming future drinking habits and explores how different economic circumstances, parenting styles and parents’ drinking behaviours influence how children view and understand alcohol. The report provides a children’s perspective on exposure to family drinking and identifies implications for policy and practice, including the need for providing parental guidance and ways to do so.