Strengthening Incarcerated Families: Evaluating a Pilot Program for Children of Incarcerated Parents and Their Caregivers

Abstract

Parental incarceration can be devastating for families. Children may experience difficulties, and the stress on caregivers who take on unexpected childrearing is high. We implemented and evaluated a family-level intervention with caregivers and children experiencing parental (typically maternal) incarceration, in a community setting. We partnered with a community-based organization serving families with an incarcerated parent to conduct a pilot trial of the Strengthening Families Program (SFP). Process evaluation indicated high implementation fidelity, satisfaction, engagement, and attendance. Outcome evaluation results indicated positive changes in family-level functioning, caregivers’ positive parenting, and caregiver depression symptoms from pre- to post-intervention, with some changes retained at follow-up 4 months later. Implications for preventive interventions with children of incarcerated parents, and their caregivers, are discussed.

The Feasibility, Appropriateness, Meaningfulness, and Effectiveness of Parenting and Family Support Programs Delivered in the Criminal Justice System: A Systematic Review

“…First, the studies included in this review described the transient nature of the prison population as a primary concern and highlighted that traditional methods for delivering parenting programs (i.e., the tendency for delivery to be in a sequential manner, where each element builds upon previously delivered content) may not be practical, nor best practice in the prison context. Within the studies in this review, Miller et al ( 2013 ) and Sandifer ( 2008 ) suggest adapting programs so that sessions can be delivered on a stand-alone basis rather than requiring continuity in attendance may mitigate some of the difficulties. Adopting a flexible delivery approach would allow for continuous recruitment to the program, thereby maximizing sustainability; it would enable parents to participate irrespective of the length of their sentence; and, it would also allow parents who miss sessions due to scheduling conflicts (e.g., court attendance) to continue with their engagement.…”

“…Second, the studies included in this review highlighted the important role played by facilitators as they were found to impact the way recipients responded to the program (LaRosa and Rank 2001 ; Meek 2007 ; Rossiter et al 2015 ) and were considered essential in the management of group dynamics (Miller et al 2013 ). Previous research has described the strength of the relationship between facilitators and recipients as having a profound impact on initial and prolonged engagement in parenting programs (Fixsen et al 2005 ; McPherson et al 2017 ) as well as being associated with better treatment outcomes (Marsh et al 2010 ).…”

“…If direct contact is not possible, program developers may wish to incorporate additional practical components to encourage parents to practice their skills in different ways. Examples from studies in this review include increased use of role play (Miller et al 2013 ) or the use of video messages generated by imprisoned parents (Kennon et al 2009 ).…”

Parenting While Incarcerated: Tailoring the Strengthening Families Program for use with jailed mothers

“…Satisfaction was measured using an SFP survey (Kumpfer et al, 1989; Miller et al, 2013). Questions included whether the participant would recommend the program, whether the group leader cared about the participant, and how much participants believed the class had helped them.…”

“…Content and logistics were tailored to address mothers' interests and the nature of this setting and parenting attitudes were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The “Parenting While Incarcerated” (PWI) curriculum was based on an existing evidence-based parenting intervention (the Strengthening Families Program; SFP; Kumpfer, DeMarsh, & Child, 1989) previously used with caregivers of children with incarcerated parents (Miller et al, 2013). This work was conducted in partnership with a community agency serving families with an incarcerated parent.…”