This qualitative study examines how school counsellors perceive children aged 14-18 whose fathers are incarcerated. Three main themes emerged from the in-depth, semi-structured interviews: (1) The school counsellors perceived feelings of vulnerability, shame, anger and lack of trust amongst the adolescents. (2) The father's incarceration was a turning point in the lives of families and served as a catalyst for major economic decline, forcing the adolescents to fend for themselves. (3) The school counsellors often felt frustrated and unsuccessful in dealing with the complex issues these students faced.