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 7 - 12 of 22
This is the final evaluation of the Integrated Family Support Service (IFSS) which started in 2011.
Funded by the Department for Education and National Offender Management Service and run in partnership between Pact in the South of England and Wales and NEPACS in the North East, the service is staffed by a combination of two roles; community based Integrated Family Support Advocates (FSAs) and prison based Integrated Family Support Workers (FSWs). The aim of the IFSS is to ensure early intervention for service users by local authority services, access to all of the local resources to which service users are entitled, better and more efficient access to support services, FSAs and FSWs worked together to decrease the chance of reoffending and intergenerational crime and to a build a bridge between prison and community. This good practice guide brings together the learning from the IFSS and is aimed at those working in family support services, local authorities and prisons, as well as those interested in commissioning family support services. It consists of substantive research with staff and service users. Case studies, learning outcomes, feedback and key issues in developing good practice are reported on in the seven key areas of:
1. Awareness raising (e.g. training quality, context and specificity).
2. Early interventions (e.g. linking to existing early intervention strategies, information sharing between and merits of different organisations e.g. prisons and children's services).
3. Efficient service delivery (e.g. positive working relationships between workers, families and prisoners).
4. Achieving cultural change (From the bottom up).
5. Improving family relationships (e.g. not just as a means of reducing reoffending, importance of family days and links to the community).
6. Service user involvement and peer support (e.g. appropriateness, training and skills gained by families).
7. Staff supervision and support (e.g. importance of locality, expertise and strategic placement).
Please read the report on the Pact website, or download the full report 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 POPS report is the result of a mapping exercise of offenders' families and support services available to them which was funded by Sure Start Children's Centres and Bolton Council in 2010.
The report explores the issues and barriers these families face in accessing needs appropriate services. Research was undertaken in Sure Start Children's Centres with contributions from local schools, prison visitor centres and family forums. Findings reveal replicable models of good practice and areas where services were lacking which raised concerns around the level of interagency working with indications of poor communication and a lack of knowledge. These factors proved to be an obstacle for families accessing services. Recommendations are made around the need for an improved communication strategy at both grassroots and regional levels, the importance of training staff across the Criminal Justice System and agencies who have contact with children and Families, that timely and accurate information for staff and offender's families is key and that knowledge and experience should be cascaded through existing services. This report suggests ways that services will become more user led and in the mean time contains resources to assist providers in better supporting families e.g. a quick reference directory of recommended services and a basic guide to the Criminal Justice Service.
Read about POP's Mapping exercise 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.
Download COPING below:
It is widely acknowledged that schools can play a key role in supporting the children of prisoners.
This peer reviewed paper reports on research which explores the support provision offered in schools to children who experience parental imprisonment. Interviews with school representatives, stakeholders, parents and children, illustrate the support available, issues that arise and ways in which support provision can be strengthened. Findings indicate that children of prisoners often constitute a 'forgotten' group in schools. Recommendations are around raising awareness of these children and the challenges they face amongst education practitioners and policy-makers.
Log in to Wiley Online or see below:
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This research predominantly focuses on what does and could work in Scotland regarding support for prisoners' families - but can be learned from by people from any country.
It references 13 pages of research and policy from around the world as well as multiple resources, services and examples of practice in order to analyse and describe the needs, support and good practice for work with prisoners' families. The report first looks at research and examples around the impact of imprisonment including children's physical and mental health, families and maintaining contact. Loucks then highlights 'key pressure points' (such as housing, finance, emotional impacts, stigma etc) at different stages of a parents' imprisonment including first entry into prison and throughout the sentence (e.g. access to information, visiting, the transfer of prisoners, release and resettlement). This research gives examples of existing resources (including organisations) in Scotland, the UK and internationally. There are sections on information and support for children and young people, information for professionals, facilities for family contact and family support staff. Loucks also highlights the gaps in provision in the areas of recognition, early provision of information, preparation for release, appropriate targeting and the further development of existing resources. This paper also looks at why some people fail to engage with existing resources. Loucks finishes by discussing what works in reducing reoffending, for families in their own right (e.g. visitor centres, family support staff, information) and programmes and support projects. The conclusion calls for the development of resources as well as more recognition of the needs of prisoners families. Finally the research paper includes a list of UK helplines for prisoners families.
Read Prison Without Bars below:
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