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

25. Imprisoned Fathers: The Children's View
This is a key peer reviewed study into Children of Prisoners which notes that children are often victims of their parent's imprisonment. Further, the relationship between children and their imprisoned fathers has been ignored in research (previous to this) in particular and the views of the children in question are often not accounted for nor reflected in findings. This National Research thoroughly examines the role the imprisoned fathers play in the parenting of their children,...
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26. Developing pathways into children and family services for mothers involved in the criminal justice system
This report was developed by Barnardo's to support links and partnership working between professionals in the criminal justice system (CJS) and in children and family services. It concentrates on women offenders and makes recommendations on how to develop 'joined up' working between services which focus on the offender and services which focus on the child and family. The report highlights the learning points from ECHO+, a Barnardo's project carried out at Eden House, a...
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27. Imprisoned Fathers and their Children
You will need to be a member of the Wiley Online Library to access the full article. This is a key piece of research concerned with Children of Prisoners. It notes the paradox in the fact that although children and families often incur their own 'sentences' when a father goes inside, there is a responsibility to the child's welfare that they maintain contact with their fathers (providing there is no evidence to suggest that this could be damaging to them). Further, prior to...
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28. A tool to tackle health inequalities in the families of people in prison? Evaluating the Families Outside Family Support Worker role from a health perspective
This evaluation looks at the role of Family Support Workers (FSWs) in Scotland in tackling health inequalities in prisoners' families. It uses interviews with FSWs, Female Service Users and analysis over 6 months of the FSW database. The most common reason for a family to seek help from FSWs was poor mental and emotional wellbeing. Findings from FSWs note there is little strategic infrastructure in place for support around children of prisoners and that inter agency work (including...
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29. The impact of parental imprisonment on children
This piece of research is part of a wider series of studies into Women in Prison and Children of Imprisoned Mothers, which is conducted in collaboration between other Quaker and Criminal Justice organisations. It looks at studies conducted in English speaking countries (predominately UK and USA) concerning the impact of the imprisonment of a parent on their Children. The report focuses on four main areas; firstly an over view of the impact of imprisonment on children is given, secondly...
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30. Every Night You Cry: Case studies of 15 Bristol families with a father in prison
This report presents the case studies of 15 families in Bristol where the father is in prison. The report aims to raise awareness of the emotional and practical impact that the imprisonment of a father has on his children and family, and seeks to explore the appropriate responses that relevant agencies should provide. Based on in depth interviews with mothers and children, the report draws out some of the main challenges and concerns associated with having a father in prison. The...
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