This is the latest independent evaluation of Pact's Family Engagement Service (FES), a specialist casework service operating in 30 prisons across England and Wales which aims to build and maintain contact between prisoners and their family members in order to 'achieve the very best outcomes for offenders and their families, to reduce re-offending and to safeguard and improve the life chances of offenders' children'.
Commissioned by Pact and funded by NOMS and Amey, the team of reviewers from the University of Cambridge's Institute of Criminology considered three primary research questions: 1. What are the key processes of the FES practice model? 2. How are these linked to positive outcomes in the areas of family contact, positive intention about desistance and well-being in prison? 3. Is there any evidence to suggest that different approaches are needed to family engagement work for women and men in prison? The report is based on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with prisoners, staff and family members connected to two prisons. The reviewers also considered exisiting quantitative data from the FES case management database. Findings of particular interest to i-HOP members include: - The FES deals with complex family contact issues, often involving child protection concerns. - Much of the work of the FES is around encouraging and enabling prisoners with children to maintain their parenting role from prison. - The process of family engagement work in the male and female estate is similar, but work with women has a more significant focus on children and liaison with children's services. The review's recommendations support the view that contact with imprisoned parents should be viewed as a child's entitlement and not connected to prison incentives and privileges. The importance of campaigning for child-friendly visits is emphasised. It also recommends that parenting courses be more widely available in the female estate and not solely the male estate. Pact's work delivering such parenting programmes, as well as family literacy courses, is discussed. There are case studies throughout with examples of good practice with offenders and their children. While this report is full of information relevant to practice with offenders' children, it has been awarded an icon for relevance to policy because the recommendations are particularly focussed on the delivery and improvement of family engagement services, including training and support for staff, integration within prison systems, delivery of parenting programmes etc. The report may be useful to those undertaking service planning and development, as well as anyone interested in family engagement work in prisons and how such work might contribute to desistance from crime and improvement of children's wellbeing.
Read the latest evaluation of Pact's Family Engagement Service below:
