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 13 - 18 of 42
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This is a peer-reviewed essay written in reaction to the dramatic increase in numbers of children with a parent in prison in the US and UK throughout the 1990's and research which shows the adverse life opportunities available to children in such circumstances. Evidence is reviewed in relation to key issues including risks for children of prisoners and how parental imprisonment may cause negative outcomes for children. Conclusions are made which highlight the importance of developing parenting programmes and the need for criminal justice reforms which encompass aspects such as substance misuse and mental health issues. The research also makes policy recommendations for reducing risk and suggestions for further longitudinal research needed in order to develop programmes to ensure children of prisoners are considered.
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This research considers the perspectives of children and their parents/carers regarding the contents of a workbook to prepare children for their first visit to a prison to see a family member. It also contains a literature review which highlights the need for appropriate interventions and strategies to be put into place to support children of prisoners.
The aims of this small-scale research were to elicit the views of children of prisoners and their parents/carers to inform the design of the workbook and also to discuss the difficulties of conducting research with this population. Using semi-structured interviews with children of prisoners and their parents/carers, and applying thematic analysis to the collected responses, five key themes were identified regarding the content of the workbook. These themes were: Inclusion of rules/procedures/prison specific information. Use of drawings and pictures. Child friendly layout. Emotional aspects. Other. Findings from semi-structured interviews are discussed in terms of what the key features of the workbooks should be, the role an Educational Psychologist can have in eliciting children's views and also the key methodological challenges associated with research concerning children of prisoners.
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This peer-reviewed article refers to the USA but can be applied anywhere. It explores the notion that intergenerational crime, as most research would report, may not only have causal links to social disadvantage, parenting, genetics and modelling processes but that a parents involvement in the criminal justice system itself may be the cause and negatively impact on a child. The youngest and oldest samples of a longitudinal study of 1,009 boys in inner city Pittsburgh were used to explore the development of problem behaviour in young people and how this links to their parents' arrest, conviction and imprisonment. Findings uncovered that parental arrest and conviction without imprisonment were not precursors to problematic behaviour in the boys. Whilst parental imprisonment had no links to the boys' marijuana use, depression or poor academic performance there was an increase in theft amongst them compared with control groups and this link was stronger for White than for Black youth. Conclusions note that although parenting (post release) and peer relations accounted for around half of youth theft, the specificity of the relationship between youth theft and parental imprisonment suggests that labelling and stigma could be intrinsic to understanding the repercussions of parental imprisonment for children and young people.
Understand more about the links between parental involvement in the criminal justice system via the link below:
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This short piece of research relates to the mentoring of children of prisoners in the US however, it can be applied to any country with an interest in this area.
It is the last in a series of 10 action research reports. The research is conducted in light of the estimated two million children with imprisoned parents in the US at the time of writing and the negative circumstances many of these children can find themselves in. It considers developmental psychology and childrens' needs depending on their stage of development. Studies of mentoring programmes are examined which indicate the long term social, emotional and educational benefits of mentoring children of prisoners and the importance of quality and longevity of mentor/mentee relationships.
See how mentoring can be a promising intervention for children of prisoners below:
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This peer-reviewed pan-European comparative research was conducted in light of reports which explore intergenerational offending and the adverse impacts on the estimated 800,000 children of offenders throughout the European Union.
This coupled with the evident lack of psychological research into, policy around or support for, this potentially vulnerable group of young people, inspired the COPING project. It is of particular interest to policy makers, campaigning organizations and interest groups in the UK and more widely in Europe. COPING brings together an international team of ten partner agencies to study the characteristics, vulnerabilities and resilience of children with a parent in prison in Germany, Sweden, Romania and the UK, as well as providing partners in France and Switzerland.
In each country group a research institution partnered with an NGO working with prisoners and their families. In the UK the University of Huddersfield partnered with POPS (Partners of Prisoners and Families Support Group). The countries reflect a spectrum of socio-cultural issues, differing incarceration levels, policies, interventions and welfare provision that impact on children of prisoners. Using positive, psychological methodology where children are an authoritative source of knowledge, COPING aims to understand how the imprisonment of a parent really affects children, resiliency processes and the potential improvement the wellbeing of a child following appropriate support. This provides a theoretical framework to assess the value of these concepts for planning methods and techniques for successful interventions which minimise adverse mental health impacts on the child. The evidence base can be used for development of policy and interventions where little existed previously. Further, it can be used to identify gaps in the data sets in relation to Children of Prisoners in Europe that currently inhibit the development of policy to mitigate mental health risks. Following the findings, twelve detailed recommendations are made which concern a number of identified unmet needs, practices that need to change, a perception that needs to be addressed or an area of current policy that needs to be remedied. Conclusions note that COPING provides a more comprehensive, detailed and clearer picture of the effects of parental imprisonment on children's mental health, their resilience and the impact upon their families. It compellingly demonstrates that, as a group, children with imprisoned parents are at a significantly greater risk of suffering mental health difficulties than children who do not have parents in prison. COPING has spawned a small pilot study involving partners from Romania, Trinidad, Uganda and the UK into the role of grandparents in caring for children of prisoners which is hoped to be scaled up.
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Using real accounts of children with mothers in prison, this book from the US explores some of the real issues for both the child and mother who experience separation amongst many other issues. Real life cases are revealed in over 70 interviews, which portray the real experiences of many families, in their own words. The book explores many of the challenges posed when the primary caregiver is away from home, from arrest through to release and resettlement.
It is available to buy via the link below:
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