Developing Family Learning Provision: Working with Offenders and in Challenging Settings

Introduction Presenting the Case and Exploring the Challenges Practical Examples Materials, Resources and Sources of Information

Family Learning: Working With Offenders informationandfacts/workingwithoffenders.pdf

Family Learning: Working With Offenders “Family Learning provision for offenders provides a relevant and stimulating context for learning.” “There is conclusive evidence that it effectively sustains learners’ interest and commitment to learning, increases opportunities for accreditation, supports and develops family relationships and improves offenders’ behaviour.”

Family Learning: Working With Offenders “It can be a powerful tool in aiding effective resettlement, reducing the risk of re-offending and can promote positive communication within the establishment between offenders and staff.” Family Learning: Working With Offenders (CFL: 2005)

Family Literacy And Numeracy in Prisons

Early Work: BSA/Prison Service 1998/99 Three projects were undertaken to: help young offenders to improve their own basic skills, and those of their children provide separate and joint sessions for parents and children give practical ways for parents to support LLN development of their children at home and during visits provide teachers experienced in teaching children and basic skills to adults enable young offenders who were parents to work towards accreditation Family Literacy & Numeracy In Prisons (BSA/NIACE)

BSA/Prison Service Projects: Adult Learner Outcomes At least 50% of learners increased scores in reading, spelling and punctuation Of the 27 students assessed in numeracy, 46% showed increased scores Learners who stated they never read a story to their child reduced from 72% to 20% Learners who stated that they never sent their child a card/letter reduced from 56% to 4%

BSA/Prison Service Projects: Child-based Outcomes Children showing an interest in books rose from 44% to 56% Those borrowing books from libraries rose from 8% to 24% The children who could write their name with help rose from 40% to 52% Those who could do it without help rose from 20% to 36%

A World Apart: Evaluation of Family Learning Programmes in Prisons a-world-apart-evaluation-of-family-learning-programmes-in-prison.cfm

A World Apart?: NFER Evaluation 2004 Small-scale in-depth evaluation of Family Learning Provision for male prisoners. Evaluation based on interviews of 39 participants (prisoners & partners) & 13 staff members, from two prisons. The evaluation set out to examine the outcomes arising from the programmes and identify issues concerned with their implementation.

NFER Evaluation: Key Findings Overall, the programmes offered more benefits to families than that experienced during a normal visit. Prisoners valued the freedom to interact in a natural way with their children. Prisoners reported new attitudes to parenting and felt they appreciated their children more. Mothers and fathers felt they now had parenting strategies. Former participants, now reunited with their families, stated that the effects of the programmes had lasted.

NFER Evaluation: Comment From Participant “It’s made me think more about my kids and my responsibilities as a father. You know, that you’re as important as the mother is, to be around. ’Cos they don’t just learn from their mother, they learn from their father as well. I know now that like I’ve got to get my head down and sort my life out and not just for me, but for my family as well.”

Activity Divide into two groups to discuss and summarise one each of the following: What difficulties may be encountered when developing Family Learning provision with Offenders? What benefits to your service can developing Family Learning with Offenders bring?

Family Learning: Working With Offenders SAMPLE CASE STUDIES

Overview HMP Kirklevington Grange ran a Sculpture workshop as part of WFL provision. The course ran for a 2 hour period so children would not get restless and to give the families time to get to and from the prison. Because of the success of the Sculpture workshop, Kirklevington Grange progressed to running another workshop, this time with Music as the main activity.

Lessons Learned The marketing of your activity is crucial. Use of individual letters turned out to be disappointing. Explaining what FL is and what is involved helps with motivation. Emphasise quality over quantity for the first Family Learning event. This helps to provide a basis from which FL provision can grow and develop. Keeping the workshops relatively small and targeted at a carefully considered client group helps to keep costs low and the events manageable.

Overview The event was organised and run by the Lifer Manager who formed a Family Day Committee. The opinions of all Lifers were represented by a circulated questionnaire. By using a secure location, they were able to use the same security procedures as for a standard Family Visit. Activities included a raffle with prizes, family photos which were sent to the family and opportunities for the dads to play games with the children.

Lessons Learned and Suggestions Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach involving all areas of the prison will aid success. Remind prisoners it is in the interest of all to make the event a success: security issues on the day may prevent future events. Communication with all areas of the prison is essential. Getting officers involved can help those not usually involved in learning. Endeavour to find solutions and workarounds to ideas that cannot initially be approved on security grounds. Trial and error is an effective way to create successful FL provision.

Action For Prisoners' Families Support Networks Information & Research Publications Learning Resources Training Opportunities

Storybook Dads™ Over 60 prisons involved Stories created by dads and put onto CD Also Mums, Armed Forces & DVDs Expandable to cover literacy, art, etc. Training Opportunities in editing

Safe Ground Prison-based drama focussed activities Family Man – increasing family participation Fathers Inside – supporting children's learning Accompanying learning resources Also services for young people at risk

NEPACS Development of facilities for children of offenders throughout the N East NACRO Policy, research & good practice resources Training opportunities LLU+ General research,training & consultancy

Campaign For Learning Policy, resources, research, & family learning network services NIACE Policy, research, learning materials & good practice resources Training services Ormiston Trust Supporting children and families throughout the East of England

Family Learning Impact Funding (FLIF) Aims: Extend FL to cover more families at risk and more fathers Increase range and responsiveness of the learning offer Build capacity of workforce Increase the number of achievements and progression Improve data collection Complement what is already there

Activity Explore the range of learning materials on display. Individually, or in pairs, select two of the resources which you feel would support you in your work. Prepare feedback on these to the rest of the group.