This report from the Council of State Governments Justice Center presents information on developing an action plan aimed at meeting the needs of children of incarcerated parents. The action plan is designed for use by Federal leaders and policymakers as well as officials at the State and local level who wish to improve policies for dealing with children of incarcerated parents. The report highlights the unique challenges and needs of these children based on the latest research findings and supporting statistics. Each section in the report is organized in a similar manner: a concise statement of the problem, including barriers to improved responses; potential responses with examples from the field; and a set of policy recommendations. The first section of the report presents an overview of the status of children of incarcerated parents as well as a review of current research. The next seven sections cover the following topics: Coordination across Service Systems; Responses to Children during a Parent's Arrest; Parent-Child Interactions within Correctional Systems; Support for Kinship Caregivers of Children Whose Parents are Incarcerated; Foster Care and Permanence; Child Support; and State and Federal Benefits and Income Support. It is hoped that the recommendations contained in this guide will provide policymakers with a broad spectrum of consensus-based policy options for improving the outcomes for children of incarcerated parents. References