Insider Knowledge: An evaluation of Ormiston’s
You & Your Child
parenting programme
Contents
Page
Acknowledgements 3
1.0 Introduction 3
1.1 Ormiston supporting children and young people affected by imprisonment 3
1.2 ‘You & Your Child’ parenting programme 4
1.3 Aims of this study
2.0 Methodology 5
2.1 Identifying the participants 5
2.2 Profile of the sample of prisoners 5
2.3 Partners/carers 8
2.4 Ormiston staff 8
3.0 Findings 9
3.1 Most useful aspects of the course 9
3.2 The least useful aspect of the course 10
3.3 Impact of the course on participant’s contact with their children 11
3.4 Participants’ awareness of the impact of imprisonment upon their families 12
3.5 Sharing the learning with partners 13
3.6 Changes in parenting behaviour and attitude 13
3.7 Taking responsibility for the family 15
3.8 Relationship with children 16
3.9 Attitude towards sentence or release 16
3.10 Impact on relationships within the prison 17
3.11 Impact on attitudes towards learning 17
3.12 Does the course help to reduce reoffending? 18
3.13 Other ways of strengthening family ties whilst in prison 19
3.14 Views of course facilitators 21
3.15 Concluding comments and suggestions from learners 23
4.0 Conclusions 24
5.0 Recommendations
Appendix 1: Interview schedule: Prisoners/ex-prisoners 26
Insider Knowledge: an evaluation of Ormiston’s
You &
Your Child
parenting programme
Acknowledgements
Many thanks are due to the Eastern Area Regional Offender Manager’s Office and Ormiston Children & Families Trust for funding this study; to the Prison Link Governor seconded to Ormiston for his support in arranging access to prisoners; to Prof Gwyneth Boswell for her helpful advice and permission to adapt her interview schedules; to all those Ormiston staff who contributed their views or their time to enable this report to be produced, but most of all to all those prisoners, former prisoners and family members who agreed to talk to me and share their experiences so openly.
1.0 Introduction
1.1
Ormiston supporting children and young people affected by
imprisonment
The ‘You & Your Child’ programme has been developed as part of Ormiston Children and Families Trust’s wide-ranging programme of services for children and young people affected by imprisonment. 1
There are an estimated 160,000 children in the UK who have a parent in prison. Research shows these children face many barriers to their well-being, including:
Sudden separation from the parent(s) in prison and multiple barriers to regular visits and contact
Stigma which increases vulnerability to bullying, low self-esteem and social isolation
Conflicting emotions about their parent in prison and their carer, confusion and fear which can lead to challenging behaviour, mental-ill-health and poor educational performance.
In 2002 a unique partnership was formed between Ormiston, HM Prison Service and the LankellyChase Foundation. The ‘Eastern Region Families Partnership’ has provided funding amounting to £3 million over 7 years to develop prison and community-based services for prisoners and their families across the Eastern Region. Ormiston’s prison and community based services for children and families of offenders now provide:
Child friendly visitor facilities and special Children’s Visits in prison Family liaison and support for prisoners in their parenting role
One-to-one and group activities at home and at school for children, young people and their families
1.2
‘
You & Your Child
’ parenting programme
‘You & Your Child’ is a parenting programme developed by Ormiston Children and Families Trust and accredited by the National Open College Network. The programme aims to build skills for those who may be finding parenting challenging by raising self-awareness and confidence in learners. Based on Ormiston’s experience with families in community projects across East Anglia, it is specifically designed to address the needs of parents/carers in sustaining positive relationships with their children from prison.
The programme aims to help learners to:
Develop their parenting skills and feel more confident and self-aware as parents, focusing on the developmental needs of their children
Have a greater understanding of children’s behaviour and how parents can influence positive behaviour
Develop skills for effective communication with their children Become more aware of family health and safety issues
Understand the impact of their offending behaviour on their children and family
The programme currently comprises four modules:
1) Child Development, Play & Behaviour (CDPB) 2) Safety & Health for your Child (SH)
3) Distance & Communication (DC)
4) T-Learning – learning in-cell by television, developed for use at HMP Littlehey
These modules are delivered by Ormiston Children & Families Trust in 8 out of the 12 prison establishments in Eastern England. Seven of these are adult male prisons and one is for male juveniles, aged 15-18 years old. Each module includes group learning usually completed over one week and supplemented with homework which is completed individually in the cell. The courses are advertised by posters, word of mouth and through information sessions on Induction. They are open to any prisoner who wishes to apply, subject to security clearance by the prison.
1.3
Aims of this study
A ‘snapshot’ evaluation was published in 2007 of the views and experiences of all the 212 learners completing at least one module of the ‘You & Your Child’ programme during the 12 months from August 2006 – July 2007. This showed very positive results, based on learners’ self-assessments on completion.
This study takes a more in-depth look at the impact of the course over a longer period based on a sample of 20 learners. Using interviews with prisoners, ex-prisoners, their partners and course faciltators, the study explores the crucial question of whether the courses actually made a difference to the men involved and to their families. It looks at whether the learners remembered what they had learned six to nine months later, whether they shared their learning with their partners (or those caring for their children) and whether it changed the way they felt or behaved as parents.
2.0 Methodology
2.1
Identifying the participants
All learners completing a ‘You & Your Child’ module were invited to sign their consent to being followed up six months later. Those who consented and expected to be released by this time were asked to supply at least one telephone number to enable them to be contacted after release. It had been intended to then select a randomised sample of 20 prisoners from this group.
In reality, following up prisoners – particularly after release – proved extremely difficult and time-consuming. Many of those who were still serving their sentence six months after the course had been transferred to other Establishments. Obtaining information about their new whereabouts was not always easy and even when
arrangements were made to visit prisoners in far-flung prisons, on arrival the prisoner had sometimes been transferred again or released, or if in an Open prison, was on home leave or out at work.
Contacting released prisoners was even more difficult. Contact numbers which prisoners supplied turned out to be unobtainable; relationships with the partner or parent whose contact details had been given may have broken down; telephone messages were not returned.
A total of 58 prisoners were identified who had completed modules between 5 and 9 months previously at the time of the study and had consented to being followed up. Those who were known to have moved beyond 3 hours travelling distance away were eliminated from the sample and attempts were made to trace and contact everybody else until a total sample of 20 interviewees was achieved.
A semi-structured interview schedule was used (see appendices) to conduct face-to-face interviews with the prisoners. The researcher gratefully acknowledges permission from Boswell & Wedge to adapt their interview schedule2 for this purpose. Because of practical considerations, interviews with released prisoners and with partners/carers were conducted by telephone. The views of Ormiston staff delivering prison services were gathered from brief questionnaires.
Responses from all these sources were analysed thematically and the prominence of each theme was also noted.
2.2
Profile of the sample of prisoners
Of the final 20 men interviewed, eight were still serving their sentences at the same prison where they had done their course. Ten were in different prisons (one was on his second sentence since the course) and only two were back in the community. In total, interviews were conducted in 11 different Establishments. The average length of time between completing a course module and follow-up interview was 6 ½ months.
Figure 1: Modules completed
15
8
2 0
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Number completed by
sample
CDPB SH DC
Name of module
Modules completed
Key: CDPB: Child Development, Play & Behaviour SH: Safety & Health for your Child DC: Distance & Communication
The ages of the sample ranged from 18 to 44 years, but nearly two thirds were in their twenties, as shown in figure 1 below:
Figure 2: Age of learners
'You & Your Child' - Age of Learners
40%
20% 25%
5%
10% 18-25
26-30 31-35 36-40 41-50
[image:6.612.138.475.425.634.2]Figure 3: Ethnicity
'You & Your Child' - Ethnicity
70% 5%
5% 15%
5% White British Any Other Mixed Background Any Other Asian Background Caribbean African
The prisoners in the sample were all in contact with at least some of their children. Not all had lived with their children prior to imprisonment but most had played a fairly active part in their children’s lives. Most had one or two children, but two participants each had six children. The majority of children were aged under 5 years. The ages of all the learners’ children are shown below:
Figure 4: Age of learners' children
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Number of children
under 1 1 - 2 yrs 3 - 4 yrs 5 - 6 yrs 7 - 8 yrs 9 - 10 yrs 11 yrs +
Age in years
[image:7.612.118.493.448.658.2]2.3
Partners/carers
The prisoners/ex-prisoners interviewed were asked if they were willing for their partners (or the person who cared for their children, who could be a grandparent or an ex-partner, for example) to be contacted by the researcher with a view to a telephone interview.
Three-quarters of the prisoner sample (N=15) were willing to facilitate contact between their partner/carer and the researcher. The partners themselves were then approached to seek their consent to be interviewed. For various reasons it was not possible to contact five of the partners, but all those successfully contacted consented to be interviewed (N=10).
The interviewees comprised 6 current partners, a wife, and one ex-partner who were all the mothers of at least one of the prisoner’s children; one mother of a prisoner and one ex-partner’s mother. Some of the prisoners had children by more than one partner, but the partners interviewed were their current or most recent partner and therefore tended to be caring for the younger of the prisoners’ children. Their children’s ages ranged from 8 months to 9 years old, the majority being 5 years old or under.
Limited resources did not unfortunately stretch to engaging directly with the children and young people for this study, so their experiences are reported by their parents.
Interview schedules used with prisoners and partners can be seen in the appendices.
2.4
Ormiston staff
3.0 Findings
3.1
Most useful aspects of the course
This question shed light not only on to what the prisoner/ex-prisoners felt were the most useful parts of the course but also probed into what they could actually
remember of it after six months or so had passed. Just a couple of the young men said that they had enjoyed the course but couldn’t remember much about it, but even they came up with a few specific learning points.
[image:9.612.85.531.289.708.2]All the others were very enthusiastic about the courses and seemed generally keen to show off what they had learned. There was a very wide range of topics raised, varying somewhat according to the module(s) the men had undertaken. The following table summarises and illustrates the responses:
Figure 5: Most useful aspect of course
Theme Examples No. of
responses
General parenting role Built up my confidence for when I’m released 11
Making time for the family – I never used to do that before
Signs of abuse or neglect
Don’t have arguments or swear around the child
The child sees you as a role model – but I’m not a very good one at the minute!
Preparing child for school
Health & safety Eating healthily – it’s easy to just chuck chips at them all the time
8
How different foods are better at different ages
Safety – plug socket covers, dangers of smoking & drinking around children
Importance of routines
Play You don’t need lots of money, just your time 6
Cheap ways to play with your child – useful if you haven’t got much funds, eg playdough
Spend time with the child, eg take him to the park
Making cards etc
Child development What children do at what ages 6
Theme Examples No. of responses
Understanding more about emotions & why a child acts the way he does
Giving children the freedom to exercise their rights
Behaviour/discipline When a child’s naughty it means they want attention 3
What to do if a child doesn’t want to eat
Importance of contact Importance of writing letters & drawing pictures 2
Enabled me to have some sort of contact with my daughter
Support networks Drawing Family Trees. I never realised I had so much family.
1
Impact of imprisonment on family
Raised awareness of what my kids are going through while their dad’s inside, though it makes me feel bad.
1
Understanding diversity A Jamaican guy had a completely different attitude towards bringing up children, so we learned a lot about diversity and there’s no right or wrong, it’s just a culture thing.
1
The single issue which seemed to have made the biggest impact on the most fathers was the realisation that being a good Dad did not have to mean spending a lot of money on your child, but that spending time with your child was one of the best things you could do for your child. This was confirmed by some course tutors, who
commented that many prisoners defended their past acqusisitive crimes on the grounds of needing to provide for their families and had felt that they were not being good dads unless they could provide expensive toys, clothes, etc for their children. Prisoners’ self-esteem was raised by understanding that they could benefit their children by giving them their attention and time alone.
3.2
The least useful aspect of the course
Around 60% of the men were wholly positive about the course, saying they enjoyed all of it, or, for example, “Even if I already knew some of it, there were otherswho might not, so none of it was a waste of time”, or: “I turned up on time to all the sessions and did all the homework. I wouldn’t have bothered if it wasn’t worthwhile.”
A couple of men commented, “Even though I’ve been a father for a while, there’s still things I don’t know.”
Two responded that there was “lots of stuff I knew already”, and one cited “how to be a parent – as it’s a natural thing.” One mentioned “some other inmates being not that helpful” as his only negative about the course.
One father of a 2 year old said he enjoyed most of the course and said it was too short, but comented that he had not participated in the craft work and “would never make playdo for my son – too messy, I can’t be doing with that!”
whole group when he later described the impact that the course had had on his parenting skills and subsequently on his child’s behaviour.
Overall, all the group were extremely enthusiastic about the course and most struggled to think of any aspects which they had not found useful.
3.3
Impact of the course on participants’ contact with their
children
The interview explored whether there had been any change in either the quantity or the quality of the men’s contact with their children since completing the course.
Most of the group said that their level of contact had remained about the same, but three men said they were actually getting fewer visits than before. This was not through choice but because in each case they had been transferred to other prisons further away from home. Not only was the added distance a problem for their families but the new locations all had fewer facilities for children:
“My partner brings the baby every weekend but I don’t see much of the others – it’s too far and it’s boring for them; there’s no play area or Children's Visits here.”
Being transferred also sometimes led to delays before Children's Visits could be re-established due to application and security processes.
Although there was little evidence of changes in the amount of contact which the men had with their children, around 60% of the group reported improvements in the way they used different forms of contact since the course, for example:
“I’m able to relate to my child better and talk to her more” (Father of 4 year old)
“You think more, make more effort, for instance now I get her mum to bring her to the phone so I can talk to her” (Father of 3 year old).
“The course made it possible to still feel like a father even though I’m inside and not getting visits.”
“I’m starting to write to my 7 year old now.”
“I don’t want my son to see me in here. But I’ve got the school’s number now so I can keep in touch and I’m including bits at the bottom of my letters for him.” (Father of 4 year old).”
“It’s made me want to see them more and learn what to do with the baby.”
“I talk to him more – he’s my focus now. And it’s made my contact with my partner better, cos we discuss what we did on the course...” (Father of 5 year old).
3.4
Participants’ awareness of the impact of imprisonment upon
their families
Incarceration can have a tendency to make prisoners self-centred and self-pitying. One aim of the parenting course is to raise the father’s awareness of how his imprisonment impacts on his family, especially his children, as there is evidence that such awareness can provide a powerful motivation to stay out of trouble in the future.
The study clearly demonstrated that most of the learners had thought a great deal about how their partners and children were coping in their absence. For some it was very painful and distressing to face up to the negative consequences of their
imprisonment for their children. Those who felt their absence had less impact tended to be the men with babies or very young children who had never known any different or who had not yet built a bond with them.
Some men felt it was their absence which had impacted most on their child rather than the fact that they were in prison, particularly if they had played an active role in the child’s life previously. Others recognised the emotional difficulties their children faced in coming to terms with their parent’s wrong-doing.
The following quotes illustrate a range of responses:
“My son’s too young (7 months) – he doesn’t know me yet.”
“My daughter (5) is a bit naughtier when I’m not around. My girlfriend’s not so strict. I try to make her see what she’s done wrong.”
“Financially - they have less money. My daughter (3) misses me – has crying fits, wants to know where daddy is.”
“It’s affected my children very much. My son (12) is getting out of control, he got arrested. He’s angry with his dad, blames him for being inside and away from them. They’ve all had to change their living arrangements, move to a smaller house, there’s less room for their stuff. We used to do lots of things together. Their Mum’s finding it hard to cope.”
“I’ve not been there for her (2). She misbehaves and her eating pattern went, she wasn’t eating as she used to.She’d call out for me and I didn’t come. It was stressful for her.”
“My son (5)’s got no male role model, no men around to play football or go swimming with. He’s getting on well at school though.”
“I don’t really know my son. I’ve missed a big part of their growing up” (prisoner who has served several sentences).
“My 9 year old’s school work and behaviour in school has suffered. I think my son in Jamaica (4) feels rejected as he can’t see me and keeps asking when he can come and be with me. I don’t know what to say to him and it upsets both of us.”
3.5
Sharing the learning with partners
Interviews with the men’s partners (or those who cared for their children) explored whether or not they knew that their partner had undertaken a parenting course, what they thought of the idea, and and if they had known about it, how much of the learning had been shared or discussed with the partner.
It was possible to interview the partners of just half of the prisoner sample (N=10). Of these, eight said their partner had told them he was doing a parenting course (though one said, “we weren’t sure if it was true!”). Three had been surprised when they heard (“it’s not something you expect blokes to do”... “surprised they even had courses like that in prison.”) but most seemed pleased and thought it was a good idea.
Of those who had been told, five said they had not been told much about it, but two partners described how the men had discussed what they had learned. (Some of the men whose partners were not available to interview also said they had shared information from the course with their families.)
One partner said, “He didn’t go into much detail, but he did pass on some things, for example, he told me not to shout as much at our daughter but to talk calmly – and it worked!”
The other partner, mother of a five year old, said:
“He told me lots. At first, I thought he was just being a pushy dad, but the things he told me to try with C really work! He said, don’t keep telling him off all the time, just walk away, and he taught me about food colourings. I thought C was ADHD because he was always hyper, but I took him off some foods with lots of colourings, like smarties, and now he’s much better....cos I don’t know much about these things and it’s taught me a lot.”
This young mum went on to say,
“B got me some information about parenting courses where I live and now I’d like to do a course.”
3.6
Changes in parenting behaviour and attitude
The men were asked whether the course had influenced their behaviour or attitudes as a parent, and if so, how. This was an area of the study in which the responses from the men’s partners, and from Ormiston staff, were also of particular interest, as the study sought evidence of whether the men’s learning had actually led to observable changes.
Sixteen out of the 20 men felt the course had led to significant changes in the way they behaved or thought as fathers. The other four either felt it had made no difference to them or thought they wouldn’t be able to judge until they got out.
Figure 6: Has the course influenced your behaviour and attitude as a parent?
Prisoner’s response Partner’s view
1 Definitely. I’ve got more time, I’m more aware. I need to be building a bond with him for when I get out.
--
2 Yes. It made me think about it a lot, eg when the kids are naughty, now I realise they’re just wanting attention.
He used to be very impatient with K, now he’s much more placid. His attitude to me’s a lot better too – he doesn’t expect me to do everything myself any more.
3 Definitely. I feel more involved in the child’s life.
Haven’t noticed any particular changes.
4 It makes you think more, and I’ve taken on board some of the things I learnt.
He’s always played a big part in her life. He relates really well to her, & now he plays a lot with her on Family Visits.
5 It made me understand more of what they’re going through...
No change really, he was already a good dad.
6 Yes. I used to wrap them in cotton wool...now I understand I’ve got to let them grow up. And it’s changed my attitude to messy play – playing is learning. But my wife wouldn’t like the mess – no way she’d let them do that!
He misses the children & he’s more aware of what it’s like on the outside for me & the children, & more determined this will be his last sentence.
7 No, I was open-minded already. [Mother:] He doesn’t see his daughter much since he was released; he seems more interested in going out with his mates. 8 Yes! Don’t have kids till you’re
mature enough! Some lads [in the YOI] have kids as a fashion statement, then find it’s harder than you think.
--
9 I’ve always been a pretty good dad, but the course gave me more insight, made me more patient. I try & play with them more on visits, but opportunities are limited.
Not really noticed any change. He’s always been quite a good dad, but in Children's Visits he’s always on edge, afraid they’re gonna make a noise or something.
10 I have more respect for them, as people – I respect their feelings. It has made me re-evaluate myself & my kids.
On visits, when he talks to his daughter, he talks calmly & knows how to deal with her.
11 Yes, a great deal. I realised I should spend more time with my child – it’s not just money they need, it’s my attention.
On the out, he would play with B, but not that much. Now, even though he only has minimum time with him, he plays with him a lot more, gets involved with his schoolwork, helps him with his spelling and sums. I didn’t think B was old enough to be doing spellings etc before, but R said, yes, he is. Now I think B’s top of his class, he keeps getting ‘star of the week’ – he’s learning a lot more. 12 Yes, it’s given me more knowledge
& now I talk to them more, we discuss what they need, they say to me, “you’ve changed!”
3.7
Taking responsibility for the family
Prisoners were asked whether they felt the course had helped them in any way to think about, or re-assess, their responsibilities towards their children and families. Again, 16 out of 20 men responded very positively to this question, the others feeling it had made little difference to the way they already felt.
One of the latter group explained that he wanted to be a good dad to his 3 year old daughter, and he had found the course useful in improving his bond and his
communication with her. However, it had not changed his attitude towards crime:
“You still face the same choices and pressures when you get out. The family isn’t my most important consideration. Going straight doesn’t put food on the table or a roof over her head so it doesn’t help her. I’m a career criminal, I can ‘do’ prison, it doesn’t bother me. I like the high life, so I take that risk. I’ve been out for ten years so it’s paid off. I know my daughter misses me when I’m not around, but the course didn’t alter my views in that respect.”
[image:15.612.104.517.358.686.2]The range of other responses to this question is illustrated by the quotes overleaf:
Figure 7: Has the course helped you to think about/re-assess your responsibilities towards your children?
Theme Examples No. of
responses
No change Not really, I was already pretty clear 4
General raised awareness
Makes you think about your family all the time 9
I’ll look at issues in depth before jumping to conclusions Put them first, above yourself
Made me feel more like a dad Planning for
the future
It made me think about getting a job & acting like a family man instead of doing want I want to do all the time. That’s why I’m doing a plasterer’s course now, so I can get a decent job when I get out.
7
Even before I went to jail, I knew this was my last chance with my children – the course has reinforced that.
Made me think about prison life and how to explain it to my son (3) as ‘a bad thing’.
I was in there for drugs, I’m not going to do that again. It made me realise I’ve got something positive to come out to.
I want to work for a better life for my children.
3.8
Relationship with children
Eleven out of 20 men felt their relationships with their children had improved as a result of the learning they had acquired the course. Six felt there was no difference, as their relationships had been good before and were still good. Two said they couldn’t tell until they were released. One prisoner said his relationship with his child had not improved, as his child was born after he started his sentence and he did not get visits, although he hoped to build a relationship with her one day.
Examples of the responses of those who felt the course had helped their relationship are shown below:
Figure 8: How relationships with children were affected
Prisoner responses
1 The course helped me learn more about myself. Parenting was an issue for me – I used to think more about drugs. It’s helped me think more about my partner’s needs and what she’s going through.
2 It’s better now because I’m applying what I’ve learned. 3 More playful now.
4 I realise that even though they are young, they still have feelings.
5 It’s improved it – when my partner tells him off he often ignores it, but he listens to me.
3.9
Attitude towards sentence or release
Almost all the men – apart from the self-confessed ‘career criminal’ – believed the course had had an impact on the way they viewed their current sentence and their future, referring in some way to wanting to be there for their children. Their responses ranged from the very emphatic:
“I’m absolutely certain I’ll never come to prison again, I’m determined about that!”
…to the somewhat less convincing:
“It probably has [had an influence on my attitude], I can’t really say while I’m still in prison…I might react differently when I’m on the outside.”
The prisoner who had no visits from his child and in many ways was the least positive of the group about the impact of the course on him generally, said:
The course has had an influence on my bad temper, and it made me think more about my daughter…I’m more aware now of how she may be affected by me being
Other responses are shown below:
Figure 9: Has the course influenced your attitude towards your sentence/release?
Examples
1 It made me more determined to get my cat D and ROTL3 2 My family will get more priority in future
3 Realised how important it is to have a father figure in bringing up a child
4 I’m not going to come back in here…I know I’m only 31 but I’m kind of feeling old now. I’m wasting my life in prison. I’ve been inside a few times, but never before since I’ve had kids. If I had another sentence, my daughter would definitely be old enough to understand where I was.
5 Yeah…don’t take no risks, stay straight, life’s too short.
6. Yes, it made me want to keep my head down & get out quicker.
7 Yeah, all my concentration will go on my little boy, there’ll be less time to get in trouble.
8 Yes, I am going to concentrate on reaching my career goals in order to get a good job.
3.10 Impact on relationships within the prison
The purpose of this question was to explore whether doing a parenting course in prison affected the way the men were perceived by either the prison staff or fellow prisoners. It was hypothesised that if they were identified as ‘fathers’ rather than just ‘prisoners’ others might behave differently in some way towards them.
On the whole, this was not borne out. As far as prison officers were concerned, only two men felt officers had noticed anything different – although the two instances were both important. The juvenile offender said after participating in the course, he was treated more like an adult. The prisoner without visits reported that prison staff had found him less arrogant and noticed an improvement in his temper. One prisoner commented, “No-one takes any notice of the good things you do in prison!” Another said, “The Officers wouldn’t care what you did. But those running the course care, and hope all’s going well.”
Some men did comment however on the way they had formed good bonds with others on their course and had found the sharing of information and views among the group helpful. One of the released prisoners, talking about his young daughter, commented:
“We’ve always been close but it made me think about her more. Actually that made it harder to do my time! But I realised that other guys were going through the same thing, missing their kids – I wasn’t alone.”
3.11 Impact on attitudes towards learning
“successfully completing the course seems to have significantly boosted men’s confidence in their ability to learn.”
This study of longer-term outcomes sought to explore whether feelings of greater self-confidence, if replicated in this sample, had translated into a greater willingness to engage with further learning.
[image:18.612.103.507.269.471.2]All the men in this sample had a positive attitude towards learning and doing courses in general. Three volunteered that they would like to go on to do further modules of ‘You & Your Child’ if available and several others talked about other courses they had done since the parenting course. It was sometimes difficult to unpick whether or not they had already been predisposed towards learning before undertaking the parenting course, but some made it clear that this experience had encouraged them to go further. Examples of their responses are shown below.
Figure 10: Has the course influenced your attitude towards education/doing other courses?
Examples
1 I did literacy & numeracy courses before but this was the first major course. I hated school, but I love learning now. I’ve done other courses since – they’ve all been beneficial to me in some way.
2 I’m not fussed about doing other courses, apart from plastering. I’m not afraid of learning though.
3 I do courses if I can. It makes the time go quicker.
4 Since then I’ve done City & Guilds in bricklaying and mechanics and a driving awareness course. ‘You & Your Child’ was one of the best courses I’ve done. It went well, so I’ve gone on.
5 This was the first course I did in prison. It did encourage me to go on and do more. I actually wanted to be there, I wasn’t there because I was told I had to be.
6 I felt nervous at first, but by the end I felt more confident. I’m doing Industrial Cleaning now.
7 Now I’ve done this course I want to go on to do level 2. I’m now at level 3 in Computer Literacy. I’m starting maths in September and am hoping to go on to do an Open University course in Engineering.
3.12 Does the course help to reduce reoffending?
This is the question to which no doubt the Prison Service and Government, not to mention funders, would most like a clear answer. As explained earlier in the ‘Aims of this study’, the size of the prisoner sample used and the resources available to
undertake this study did not permit the use of reconviction data – in common with most similar outcomes studies of parenting programmes for offenders.
However, this study has gone further than many in following up learners on average six months after their course and exploring not just their attitudes but also how these have, or have not, been translated into real changes in behaviour. The study sought to corroborate learners’ statements with evidence from their partners and from staff observing their behaviour during subsequent visits in the prison.
It had been hoped to interview a greater proportion of learners after release, when they would have the most opportunities to put their learning into practice.
In many ways, however, this has still enabled very useful outcomes to be revealed. The detailed and concrete examples of changes in attitude and behaviour reported by respondents in the study speak, we hope, for themselves. Their expressed views about future offending behaviour are shown below; all but one of the respondents felt that, in some way, doing the parenting course had given them tools to reduce their offending behaviour in the future.
One can only hope that – even after allowing for some sampling bias and a large pinch of salt – at least some of their optimism and determination translates into a real reduction in reoffending in the future.
Figure 11: Respondents' views on whether the course has influenced their future behaviour
Examples
1 Yes, big time – I don’t want to come in here again!
2 Definitely – it will make me think twice before doing something – I just want to be home with my child.
3 A lot. It made me realise that relationships are built not on material things but on actually showing feelings, such as love, towards your child.
4 No. It’s down to the individual.
5 Yes. I’m absolutely determined I’ll never come to prison again, I’m absolutely certain about that.
6 The whole prison sentence has done that for me, not just the course.
7 It’ll make me think about the effect it’d have on my son before I do anything stupid.
8 This was my first offence [manslaughter]. The course taught me the effects it’s had on my son. I want to teach him the right way to respond. For example, if a child hit him at school, before, I would’ve said – hit him back! Now I say, why do you think he did that? And encourage him to walk away. I don’t want him growing up thinking that violence is the way to deal with situations.
9 Yes, in lots of ways. I want to work as a plumber, concentrate on my career, wife and family. In a way, coming to prison was the best thing to happen to me. It’s given me time to think and made me re-evaluate my lifestyle and the importance of family.
3.13 Other ways of strengthening family ties whilst in prison
Their responses are shown below; Children's Visits or Family Visits were the most important provision mentioned (some mentioned more than one thing):
Figure 12: Other ways of improving contact
Prisoner’s response No. of
responses
1 Children's Visits /Family Visits 8
2 No response/no experience of other provision 8
3 Ormiston staff have been helpful 3
4 Storybook Dads 2
5 Cheaper phone calls 1
6 Drugs course – addressed family issues and led on to me doing You & Your Child
1
7 ETS4 - made me think I want to make my family my first priority 1 8 Would be good to have video links, or to record a play we’ve done
to send home [juvenile prisoner]
1
[image:20.612.105.505.399.556.2]Partners/carers were also asked for suggestions of facilities or improvements which they felt could help prisoners to fulfil their fathering role whilst in prison. All those contacted believed that it was important for prisoners to be allowed to have good quality contact with their children, although two made the point, in different ways, that the best way for fathers to maintain contact was not to get into trouble in the first place! Longer and better quality visits were again top of the wish list. The range of responses is shown below:
Figure 13: Partners’ suggestions for improving contact
Partner’s response No. of
responses
1 Children's Visits /Family Visits - be able to play and have lunch together
5
2 Make visits easier, eg financial help, better transport 1
3 Locate prisoners nearer to home 1
4 Photos, audio tapes 1
5 APVU5 1
6 Prisoners Families Helpline 1
7 Phone calls at any time 1
8 Children to have 1 night a week with their dads if they want like in women’s prisons in some European countries – 2 hours isn’t long enough for them to bond with their dads.
1
Partners were also asked if they had support from any other agencies or organisations, either whilst their partner was in prison or during resettlement. Only one mentioned any source of support outside of the family, which was Social Services. Two families volunteered that they had heard of the Prisoners Families Helpline, but had not used it. One said they had found the internet a useful source of information.
One grandmother expressed her concerns about a lack of support after release and in particular highlighted the need for something like a contact centre where ex-prisoners
4 Enhanced Thinking Skills
who were unable to see their children in their own homes – for example those in bail hostels - could spend time with their children.
3.14 Views of course facilitators
Ormiston staff delivering the ‘You & Your Child’ course in four different prisons gave their views about the impact of the courses from their observations of the learners. Their experience of working with many different groups gives a broader picture – and from a different perspective – than can be achieved from a sample of 20 men. The staff concerned also run Children's Visits in their Establishments and through these are often able to meet the learners’ families and see how they interact.
The staff summarised what they saw as the main benefits which the men got from their courses:
Sharing experiences in a safe environment - improved social/group work skills:
“Prior to starting the parenting course one of our learners was very subdued and hardly talked, spending all day in his cell. After he had completed the course he felt more confident about putting his name down for employment. The next time that we saw him he was in a workshop talking and laughing with other prisoners.”
“Prisoners often talk about how they value the opportunity to discuss child/family related issues as it is not possible on the wing or during ordinary prison life.”
Sense of achievement - realising they can do it and make changes that are manageable:
“Achieving a certificate from an accredited course is important. Sometimes it’s the first qualification they’ve ever achieved. It can also complete part of a sentence plan, or carry weight with Social Services.”
“The Governor gives out their certificates in a little ceremony; one guy gave a little speech about how wonderful the course was!”
Parenting tips and strategies:
“They get lots of food for thought - they’re always saying, “I hadn’t thought of that before...or it can reinforce what they already knew.”
time and space to think about their role as a parent
“Overall, they focus more on their children than in the past. It can be very emotional, which surprises them – especially when they start thinking about the way they were parented themselves – it can make them feel a bit down
sometimes. But it’s positive because they can see room for change – they don’t have to do things the same way themselves.”
Nice biscuits
Opportunity to develop realistic expectations around their child’s development and needs.
There was no unanimous view about whether some groups of prisoners benefit more than others from the courses. Young prisoners were felt to benefit because they “don’t think they know it all”, but older prisoners were often found to be “more willing to listen & admit to their failings, share more, better in group situations.”
Although the course is open to men with little or no contact with their children, and indeed facilitators thought it was often helpful to these fathers in, for example, helping them to understand why children may not want to come to a prison – it was considered that those with regular contact gained most benefit as “they are able to reinforce their learning within a reasonable time-frame.”
Staff were asked whether they had observed changes in the prisoners’ parenting behaviour or attitude after finishing the course, for example during Children's Visits.
All responded positively, with examples:
One of our learners reported how he had played a listening game with his children (five and eight year old) that he had been shown on the course. (Unfortunately this was fitted in between sentences!) He said that the course had helped him to see the importance of sitting down and playing with his children instead of just watching them.
Following his attendance on a parenting course one of our learners began to sit and read with his six year old daughter during Children’s Visits.
We have also observed how one father’s confidence in dealing with his four year old son’s challenging behaviour increased following completion of a parenting course.
Another learner sent some crafts home to his 3 year old daughter. Then on Children’s Visits began to make cakes with his daughter, instead of sending her off to the activity table so that he could talk to mum, as he had done on prior visits.
A parent on a Children's Visit told her partner that she was putting their child into nursery. The prisoner informed us that he was able to join in with the conversation and put across his own views following a group discussion on the parenting course.
A father whose daughter was born seriously underweight due to the mother’s alcohol problem, asked lots of questions during the module safety and health which explores the impact of parental drug and alcohol abuse on children. Whether this will affect his behaviour/support of his partner in the future we are unlikely to find out.
And generally…
They are more child focussed on a visit, keen to spend time as a family unit, ie not just talking to their partner
They make sure they tell us if they do something different on a visit.
They accept other prisoners’ ideas and cultural differences.
course showed them how important it was for their children to keep in touch with them. Several from the last course are now thinking of applying for an all-day (APF Family-Friendly challenge) visit, which they wouldn’t have done before.
One staff member cautioned, however, “Behaviour exhibited in class and during 1:1 sessions does not necessarily reflect general behaviour.”
Another commented: “some partners think its funny he's enrolled but change their mind when they learn what he's done on it. Ex-prisoners have told us it has held together their family.”
3.15 Concluding comments and suggestions from learners
“The courses shouldbe longer. I’d like the opportunity to do more modules.”
“The courses should be linked to a family visit - the tutors could be there to encourage us to put things into practice.”
“The course was well put together and managed and presented by the two ladies”
“Sometimes the teacher could’ve done with more support from the Officers to make sure everything gets done [refers to a ‘fuss’ about scissors]”
“I discussed the coursework with my wife and she came up in Children's Visits and met the Ormiston staff and was included in discussions. She is very happy that I did the course.”
“As parents, we need to be respected, loved and taken seriously. How? By keeping drug-free and focussed on the future. It scares me, but I’m up for the challenge!”
“England has changed a lot – violence, knife crime. Most kids come from broken homes which affects their relationships, like mine. My mum died and I was brought up by my auntie. I hold a lot of resentment against my Dad, for not stepping up and bringing me up. This made me angry and then I would get in trouble. Courses like this make you think about things. They should be implemented in all prisons.”
“I’ve been a father for 25 years, but it’s been a bit like being a carpenter without having the qualifications – I could do the job, but the course has given me the knowledge to do it so much better.”
4.0 Conclusions
This study looked at the outcomes for a group of prisoners six months after
participating in a parenting course. It was begun in a spirit of healthy scepticism that any intervention lasting only a week or two, taken in the context of a lifetime of other experiences and influences, would be unlikely to produce a significant or long-lasting impact on its participants. There was also the concern that interviewees would, either through self-delusion or a wish to please, tell us what they thought we wanted to hear.
These factors undoubtedly need to be borne in mind when assessing the responses. However the evidence gathered both from the learners themselves and from their families and the facilitators strongly suggests that, for at least some participants, their learning experiences have led to identifiable and sustained changes in attitude and behaviour.
It is not possible to quantify the proportion of learners demonstrating positive change; the changes themselves vary in nature and intensity between individuals, but the responses given were overwhelmingly sincere and enthusiastic. As stated earlier, all but one of the respondents in the study felt that, in some way, doing the parenting course had strengthened their motivation to reduce their offending behaviour in the future.
5.0 Recommendations
[image:25.612.101.525.188.615.2]A number of recommendations have arisen out of this study, addressed to a range of stakeholders – Ormiston, the Prison Service, Government and not least, to funders and prospective funders of this work, without whom none of it would be possible.
Figure 14: Recommendations for action
Recommendation Notes
1 Rollout of the ‘You & Your Child’ programme should be extended across the prison estate.
Work is already underway to prepare the course for external marketing and the findings of this study reinforce the importance of this work.
2 Opportunities should be extended for prisoners to undertake more modules and modules at higher levels. 3 Links with Children's Visits,
where possible, should be extended.
Practice currently varies across Establishments as to whether extra visits are given on completion of the course and about the extent of post-course support given through visits. There is scope for much more reinforcing of learning through facilitators being involved in subsequent
Children's Visits and learners indicate that many would welcome this opportunity.
4 Sharing of learning with families should be further developed.
Again, current practice varies, but consideration should be given to how partners could be more informed and involved in the learning from the start of the module. This might include
encouraging learners to send out written
information, discussing issues on Children's Visits where possible or inviting partners to participate in special events where learning could be shared. A new Family Learning module is under
development which will address many of these issues.
5 Consideration should be given to increasing links with other learning providers in prison to follow through and build on messages for individual learners.
Courses such as PASRO and ETS6 may not address parenting issues specifically but encourage learners to think about personal and family matters. Liaising with facilitators, with a
Appendix 1: Interview schedule: Prisoners / ex-prisoners
Name: Current Establishment/Status: Date:
Module(s) completed: At which prison? Date: Registered:
Remind participants of the nature of the research and that they agreed to be interviewed after the programme. Check that they are still happy about this. Remind them about the module & content of the course they did.
i) Can you tell me how old your child (or children) is please?
ii) Do [did] you have contact with your children whilst you are [were] in prison? If so, by what means?
Visits: Frequency, type (eg Children’s Visits or domestic?) Phone calls: Frequency
Letters/cards: Frequency Story-tapes: Frequency Other:
1. What aspects of the ‘You & Your Child’ course did you find most useful and why?
2. Were there any less useful aspects and why?
3. Did the course help you to improve contact with your child(ren)? If so, in what ways?
4. Were there other ways in which the Prison Service, or organisations working in the prison, helped you to improve contact with your children? How?
5. How old was/were (all) your child(ren) when you started this sentence?
6. Do you think your imprisonment has affected the child(ren)? If so, in what ways?
7. Having completed the course, do you think that it has influenced your behaviour and attitudes as a parent? If so, in what ways – can you give me some examples?
8. Has the course helped you to think about/re-assess your responsibilities towards your child(ren) and their mother? If so, in what ways?
9. Has the course affected your relationship with your child(ren)? If so, in what ways?
10.Has the course influenced your attitude and behaviour towards your sentence or resettlement/release? If so, in what ways?
11.Has the course influenced your attitude and behaviour towards education/doing other courses? (please give examples)
12.How has taking part in the course affected your relationships with a) Prison staff and b) other prisoners? (eg do they see you differently now, as a dad?)
13.Do you think that participating in the course will affect your future (offending) behaviour? If so, in what ways?
Appendix 1: Telephone Interview schedule: Partners/Carers
1) I understand that you are the partner/ other relative of
(prisoner). Can you please confirm which of his children you have care of (state whether biological or step-children; gender/age of child/children).
2) Were you aware at the time of the Course that your partner/relative was participating in it? If so, did he tell you anything about the Course?
3) How did you feel about him participating in the Course?
4) Have you had any experience of parenting education?
5) What do you think has been the effect on the child(ren) of his/her/their father being in Prison? (e.g., behavioural change/educational/school issues)
6) What forms of contact do/did the children have with their father whilst he is/was in prison?
Type of Contact Yes/No Frequency, type etc
Visits Letters Photographs Presents/Cards Phone Calls Story tapes/videos Other (specify)
None (please explain reason)
7) Has the type of level of contact changed at all since the course? Why do you think this is?
8) Have you noticed any change in (prisoner) since he completed the Parenting Course? Please can you describe this and its effect on:- a) you? (b) the child(ren)?
9) What other facilities or improvements would you like to see that you think might help prisoners to carry out their fathering role as well as possible whilst they are in Prison?
10) Do you have any links with agencies/organisations that might help you and the child(ren) during and after release? (e.g., Probation Service, Social Services, voluntary agencies etc.)
Gill Pugh Action Researcher Ormiston Children and Families Trust 51 Cambridge Road, Milton Cambridge CB24 6AW 01223 418006
