Professionals who work with children of incarcerated parents gathered in downtown Long Beach earlier this week for a two-day workshop meant to provide them with tools to help meet the needs of the children, city officials announced on Thursday.
The free training course—which took place on Monday and Tuesday at the Long Beach Public Library—was hosted by the city of Long Beach, the Children’s Clinic, and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
The event was part of the city’s Safe Long Beach efforts.
“Together with the U.S. Department of Justice and local organizations, the City is realizing our Safe Long Beach goals,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “Investing in the success of our most vulnerable youth increases and enhances the safety of our entire community.”
The course touched upon methods for reducing the impacts and stigmas associated with being separated from an incarcerated parent, and sessions featured panel discussions from local practitioners, caregivers and youth who have experience with parental incarceration, according to the release.
About 10 million children in the United States have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives, the release stated.
Currently, there are more than 2.7 million children in the nation with an incarcerated parent.
Participants included probation officers, social workers, jail administrators, and community-based service providers.