Kids VIP, a charity which supports children with parents in prison, has become part of the Prison Advice and Care Trust (pact).

The new charity, which will operate under the pact name, will have over 200 staff and a turnover of around £3.5 million, and will support over 350,000 family and children visits each year.

Kids VIP (inc. £270,926) will become a division of pact (inc. £2.8m), and the Kids VIP name will be retained as the brand for all of pact’s existing services to children. As part of the merger process, two trustees from Kids VIP will be joining the pact board.

A pact spokesman said that there would be no redundancies as a result of the merger.

Andy Keen-Downs, chief executive of pact, said:

“Kids VIP and pact have worked closely together for many years, and in that time a real bond has formed. I am confident that the trust between the two teams, and the common values we share, will make it a success and result in improved services to the children and families of prisoners.”