This article examines the need and types of support for children with a parent in prison, the measures in place to know who they are and the consequences of associated policies for their development. These are discussed within a cultural‐historical child development framework and, within that, questions are raised about optimal development and children's rights. The article is grounded in a mixed‐methods study of a support service for children of prisoners in Worcestershire. Parental imprisonment can impact negatively on societal, institutional and personal aspects of children's development. However, when children are supported through family‐centred, relationship‐focused, strengths‐based services, they can engage more fully in the institutions and social situations of their daily lives.