All research and evidence on NICCO is reviewed using a Quality Assessment Tool (QAT) developed by the University of Huddersfield and Barnardo's.
Research and evidence is assessed in four key areas: Methodological Quality, Child-Centredness, Relevance to Policy and Strategy, and Relevance to Practice with offender's children. This ensures that items on the NICCO website are as useful as possible to academics, practitioners, commissioners and other professionals. For more information about the development of the QAT or to review research in order to list it on NICCO, please see the QAT webpage where you can download the Tool, Guidebook and a short step-by-step 'How To' document. Please contact us to submit quality assessed research on to NICCO.
Click on the icons to see a full list of items which have been awarded a standard icon or icon+ (for items which have scored particularly highly) in each key area:
Results 19 - 24 of 37
This peer reviewed article looks at representations of attachment relationships which were assessed in 54 children ages 2 to 7 years whose mothers were in prison.
The research found that 63% of the children were classified as having insecure relationships with mothers and caregivers. Secure relationships were more likely found in children who lived in a stable caregiving environment, when children reacted to separation from the mother with sadness instead of anger, and when children were older. Common reactions to initial separation included sadness, worry, confusion, anger, loneliness, sleep problems, and a regression in development. Results highlight the need for support for families affected by maternal imprisonment; especially efforts to promote stable, continuous placements for children, in addition to noting the importance of longitudinal research with this growing but understudied group.
View at Wiley Online or download for free below:
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You will need access to Taylor & Francis Online Journals to read the full article.
This peer-reviewed paper reports on research into supervised play visits to fathers at HMP Leeds. The study took place in light of the fact that visiting a prison can be traumatic for children and having an imprisoned parent can lead to negative outcomes for them. Further, positive experiences of visits as a means of maintaining family ties can limit those negative outcomes. Data was collated from various methods to ensure validity. The research shows that play visits do produce positive outcomes for children and are effective in maintaining and strengthening family ties. These effects may be stronger when compared to standard prison visits, but further research is needed to confirm this.
See 'It was just like we were a family again' below:
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This book discusses the situation, problems and human rights of prisoners' children - and how they are treated throughout the justice process from the arrest of a parent through to their imprisonment and then release.
Based on extensive research from across Europe, the book argues that it is a paradox that the family is hailed as a fundamental unit in our societies, regarding children as an especially valuable and vulnerable group of citizens, but at the same time families are broken up on a massive scale through imprisonment. The book also discusses various reform initiatives, assisting in promoting good practice and improving the experience of children of imprisoned parents.
See When the Innocent are Punished below:
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This report includes a call for action from Parliament to select a Minister to take account for children who have a parent in prison.
It firstly outlines key research into the benefits and challenges of children visiting loved ones in prisons and their experiences of this including travel, prison rules, finances and environment. The report also contains information obtained by Barnardo's through a freedom of information request: that 506,694 visits were made by children to public prisons in 2013. The document then goes on to highlight the importance of improving the experiences of children who have a parent in prison and to call on the Secretary of State for Justice to appoint a Minister to take responsibility for developing a national plan to protect the children of prisoners, with a focus on improving prison visits and the identification of such children at the point of sentencing. The end of the report includes a note about Barnardo's work with children affected by parental imprisonment, capacity to train professionals and the i-HOP information hub on offenders' families.
See Just Visiting below:
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This chapter of Crime and Justice: a Review of Research written by top researchers in the field starts on the premise that there is little known about whether parental imprisonment causes problems (known as risk factors) such as anti-social behaviour, offending, mental health problems, drug abuse, school failure and unemployment.
This peer-reviewed research looks at parental imprisonment being the cause of these poor outcomes because of the strain of parent/child separation, stigma etc and also the differences between children's reactions based on parents sentence length, which parent is imprisoned and the social context. Various studies looking at parental imprisonment are discussed and summarised. The researchers conclude that children of prisoners have about three times the risk for antisocial behavior compared to their peers, and twice the risk of mental health problems. Furthermore, the researchers state that whilst few studies investigate the relationship between parental imprisonment and child drinking, drug, education, and employment outcomes (and those that do are based on unrepresentative samples, meaning that results should be treated with caution) - studies to date suggest that parental imprisonment is a risk factor for school failure, drug abuse and unemployment. However, parental imprisonment was not consistently associated with drinking problems. The research recommends children's protection from harmful effects of parental imprisonment by the use of family friendly prison practices, financial assistance, parenting programmes and sentences which are less stigmatising given social context.
Please download the effects of parental imprisonment on children below:
This report is part of the a series of Spotlight reports, published as part of the NSPCC's All Babies Count campaign.
All Babies Count aims to raise awareness of the importance of pregnancy and the first year of life to a child's development. The report looks at babies affected by the criminal justice system, and argues that having a parent or a significant adult involved in the criminal justice system should be treated as a strong marker of additional support needs in a child's life, beginning at conception. Babies affected by parental offending and the criminal justice system often encounter risks that could affect their care and development - because those involved in the criminal justice system often have additional needs, such as poor mental health, that can impact on the care a baby receives; because the criminal justice system can disrupt relationships, particularly if parents and infants are separated; and because the imprisonment of pregnant women and babies in Mother and Baby Units can impact on the health and wellbeing of infants.
The report highlights that both universal health and early years services will not necessarily be aware that a baby has a parent in prison, and community criminal justice agencies working with offenders will not necessarily be aware that someone is a parent. There is also a focus on the UK's Mother and Baby Units (MBUs), with questions raised about how best to meet the needs of infants when their mothers are imprisoned. While MBUs may reduce the trauma of separation for children, it may mean living in an environment that is detrimental to child development. Finally, the report highlights examples of good practice, and makes 6 key recommendations for the identification, consideration and support for babies affected by the criminal justice system and their parents.
See An unfair sentence below:
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