Directory of Research

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:

Child-Centredness

Relevance to Policy

Methodological Quality

Relevance to Practice

127. Evaluation of the Ormiston Families' Breaking Barriers Service in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Essex
This evaluation explores the work and benefits of Ormiston's Breaking Barriers outreach service for children with a loved one who has recently been sentenced to prison. The service, which offers 8 visits from a practitioner to a child in school, is assessed in relation to the aims of the service using service data, first hand interviews with children and parents and anecdotal evidence from school partners. The evaluation ends with clear recommendations for running the service, (such as...
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128. Prison Inspectorate Report 15/16
This England and Wales Prison Inspectorate report acknowledges not only that family contact is a 'key source of support for prisoners during their time in custody and on their release' but also that: maintaining contact with imprisoned parents supports children's mental, emotional and educational attainment. The report also identifies that introducing phone booths to allow for private conversations, and in the newer prisons, the introduction of phones in the cells would support...
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129. Motherhood disrupted: Reflections of post-prison mothers
This paper contributes new insights into the ways in which prison is experienced as an emotional space by mothers. It highlights the way in which the maternal experience for mothers in prison is often at best disrupted, at worst destroyed, by the location. Consideration is given to how maternal emotions and role are assembled and challenged through imprisonment and how mothers understand this experience whilst navigating motherhood post incarceration. The data presented is based on twenty...
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130. A Needs Assessment of Veterans in Custody, their Families & Children
This report is a needs of assessment of veterans in custody, their families and children. This research project was led by Barnardo’s NICCO and funded by Forces in Mind Trust. After undertaking in-depth qualitative research with veterans in custody, their partners, children and professionals working in this area, this report provides an insight into the needs and experiences of the families of veterans in custody. Amongst other key findings, our analysis revealed high levels of family...

131. Support for children affected by parental imprisonment: scoping research
The objectives of this research were to consider what practices exist to support children in Wales with a parent in prison, to what extent they represent good practice and what would need to be considered when looking to develop a national model of support. The research was particularly interested in the roles that schools can provide in supporting children with a parent in prison.
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