Family support programs emphasize a proactive approach to the prevention of family problems. Typical program components are life skills training, parent information classes and support groups, parent-child groups, information and referral services, family crisis intervention, and auxiliary support services. Family support programs have a role to play in meeting the needs of both parents and children occasioned by the incarceration of the parent. Needs spawned by incarceration are the child's loss of contact with the parent, the stress of the sudden departure of the parent, the lack of clear information on what has happened to the parent, the preoccupation of the remaining parent, minimal support groups, and the isolation experienced by the remaining parent and the children. Program models for families with an incarcerated parent vary, but all have the underlying premise that it is important for a parent to continue to be a parent even while incarcerated. Family support programs help inmates continue to function as family members and learn new ways of coping with the stresses and emotional issues they will face when released from prison. The five models of programs for incarcerated parents are basic services to inmates' families, activities that strengthen and maintain inmate mothers' relationships with their children, a nursery in a corrections facility, a program that aids women in a work release program, and support groups for parents recently released from prison and their children. Six resource organizations are profiled.