Founder of charity helping Banbury children wins Woman of the Year award
The founder of a charity supporting children with a parent in prison has won a national Woman of the Year award.
Sarah Burrows – whose scheme supporting Banbury area youngsters from the first day of a parent being sent to jail was featured in the Banbury Guardian – has devoted herself to the needs of this ‘unseen and unrecorded’ group of youngsters.
After over a decade of providing the unique service offered by Children Heard and Seen (CHAS), she has received national recognition for her work through Lorraine Kelly’s Woman of the Year Trailblazer Award, presented live on ITV.
Her campaign has been taken to the House of Commons by several MPs who have highlighted the fact that there is no national accounting for children suffering the loss of a parent to prison or the stigma they may live with.
Ms Burrows founded the charity from her kitchen table in Oxfordshire in 2014, having recognised that children with a parent in prison were often overlooked and left without appropriate support.
Today, more than 200,000 children are estimated to experience parental imprisonment each year, yet there is still no comprehensive national system to identify them and ensure they receive support.
Speaking on Lorraine, Ms Burrows said: “I think children with a parent in prison are one of the most invisible groups in this country.”
CHAS provides specialist one-to-one support, volunteer mentoring, peer groups and activities, helping children build confidence, develop trusted relationships and connect with others who share similar experiences.
The charity runs regular family activities at Hill End – a 67-acre site providing outdoor learning experiences, residential trips and community programmes near Oxford – alongside creative sessions and other opportunities for children and families to come together.
The award comes ahead of National Day of Children with a Parent in Prison on November 25. The day was established by CHAS in 2025. This year's activities include an event in Parliament and the launch of Hear My Voice, a film highlighting children's experiences.
The charity hopes Sarah's recognition will encourage more people, particularly schools and professionals, to recognise children affected by parental imprisonment and help them access support.
Families can contact CHAS directly about groups and activities. Specialist one-to-one support requires a professional referral and is a paid service.
Visit www.childrenheardandseen.co.uk or email [email protected].