In this Submission to the Inquiry into Support for Children of Imprisoned Parents, Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University, comments on "the situation of infants and young children whose mothers are incarcerated and the support or undermining of their health and wellbeing in the justice system." Gribble explores the effects of parental separation on infant mental health, among other topics. The submission concludes with recommendations for addressing the developmental and health needs of infants and young children through better data collection, placement in mother-and-baby units where appropriate, breastfeeding support, presenting the needs of infants and young children and the likely impact of different sentencing options in the court process, avoidance of incarceration for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and more.
