Table 3.

Key characteristics of the programmes evaluated: site, nature, study design, participants in the evaluation and findings.

Authors	Country of study/programme, programme(s) evaluated	Study design & key data sources	Participants in evaluation	Findings
Boswell and Wedge (2002)	3 courses in 3 UK YOIs. ‘Needs led’, largely info based. ‘Major eligibility criterion’ is fatherhood or expectant fatherhood. One course is 6 sessions, no other specific info.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. Interviews with young offenders following completion of course.	30 young offenders.	Most reported that it had changed the way they perceived their fathering role and expected this to impact on their children.
Caddle (1991)	5 courses, in 5 UK YOIs. All largely info based. 3 open to all inmates, 1 to expectant/actual fathers,1 to those ‘who have responsibility for young children’. Between 6 and 12 sessions delivered.	Pre and post course interviews re knowledge and attitudes, including behavioural vignettes, and about the teaching techniques used in relation to their needs. Information gathered on selection of inmates for course.	37 young offenders (20 of whom had children).	Men felt they had learned new parenting skills. Following course: improvement in knowledge of stages of a child’s development and ways in which this may be facilitated, increased understanding of effect baby may have on personal lives and relationships, attitudes to role of father in maintaining parental discipline changed. The courses attracted participants who might most immediately benefit from training since 2/3 of sample were already actual/expectant fathers. Course with large component of discussion, rather than written work, likely to be most effective.
Dennison and Lyon (2001)	9 ‘best established most comprehensive’ courses in 9 UK YOIs plus 4 ‘special interest’. Includes Family Matters. All largely info based. 4 or more sessions delivered. Minority of courses open only to fathers or expectant fathers, most open to anyone interested. Majority of courses delivered by part-time tutors employed by education contractor within prison, ‘a number’ brought in specialists to deliver particular sessions. One course delivered by community health pros and one community volunteers. Predominantly female teaching input.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. Interviews with expectant/actual fathers who had participated in course; follow-up interviews with sub-sample 6 months after release. Interviews with mothers of children and with course leaders.	62 young offender fathers/expectant fathers, 25 followed up 6 months post-release. 5 mothers of offenders’ child. Course leaders interviewed for 12/13 courses.	Men liked courses and said they had learned from them, especially the factual based elements. At follow up they considered they had retained a significant amount of the course content and were finding it helpful in their post-release parenting role. Mothers were less positive feeling course had made little/no difference to father’s involvement with child. Course tutors strongly motivated, thought course worthwhile but identified barriers.
Jarvis et al. (2004)	1 course (Parentcraft) delivered in 1 UK YOI. Open to all inmates. Includes storybook tape and other content specific to men as prisoners.16 weekly 3 h sessions. Led by lecturer employed by local college with outside input for some sessions, primarily female input.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. Observation of sub-sample of sessions, focussing on response of students to modes of delivery of course; end of session and end of course evaluation sheets for students; course documentation scrutinised, interviews with teaching staff focussing on approaches to teaching and learning.	Observation of sessions approx. six-weekly over a period of 18 months. No numbers provided for student evaluations or interviews with teaching staff.	Young offenders report increase in knowledge and understanding in area of parenting. Observations and staff point to importance of relating information to men’s needs in relation to age of child and context of imprisonment. Opportunities for discussion, respect for the men, caring and supportive attitude using personal narratives and practical activities are important.
Lindfield (2009)	2 courses piloted in 2 UK YOIs. Includes Family Matters. Both courses included visits involving family members. Open to actual and expectant fathers. Family Matters delivered by New Bridge, other course delivered by prison staff including members of healthcare team and colleagues based in community. One course delivered to 4 men, other to 2 men.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. End of session questionnaires and in-depth interviews with young offender parents and staff	6 young offender fathers/fathers to be, involved staff (no number given).	Men: positive about courses, enjoyed them, thought they should be routinely offered, in theory supported involvement of family members although was not always possible. Staff: involving community-base colleagues contributes positively to courses; support of senior managers and involvement of uniformed and wing staff is crucial to delivering courses successfully; should link with YOT parenting co-ordinators to support learning and support from the parenting; is desirable but very difficult to involve family members in courses.
Macmillan (2005) (Author developed and delivered intervention)	1 intervention in 1 UK YOI. Parenting course and family orientated weekly clinic for young offender parents, partners, children and grandparents where skills could be developed and support for fathers as prisoners and mothers living as single parents could be given. Family Day on completion of course for men to practice skills with child and other carer. Programme led by health visitors, aided by prison tutor.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. Number of visitors making contact at clinic.	N/A	70 per cent of visitors actively sought clinic staff out.
Mardon (1996) (Author developed and delivered course)	1 course in 1 UK YOI. Largely information based. 11 weekly sessions. Open to actual and expectant fathers. Tutor led with input from health visitor, social services and marriage guidance with input from male prison staff encouraged. 8 participants per course.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. ‘Informal feedback’ from participants to tutor relating to how programme has affected interaction with partner. Length of waiting lists and drop-out rates.	Based on unspecified amount of author observation and reported feedback from participants over 9 years.	Positive feedback from young offenders about developments in their relationships with children at visiting times. Long waiting lists and low drop-out rates.
Meek (2007) (Author developed and delivered course)	1 course in 1 UK YOI. Largely info based, includes content specific to men as prisoners. Open to all inmates, priority given to actual/expectant fathers. 5–11 participants. 10 sessions delivered over a week. Delivered by author with assistance from prison staff, outside input for specific sessions.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. Anonymous written course evaluation completed by participants at end of course.	75 young offenders.	All participants rated course as very or fairly useful.
Nurse (2002,2005)	1 course – Young Men as Fathers - delivered in facilities under the jurisdiction of the Californian Youth Authority, US. Largely skills based. Participation required of selected inmates, with fathers given priority. 12 weekly sessions. 15–20 participants. Delivered by community educators.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. Observation of parole parenting classes. Survey of paroled fathers in Northern California including question about helpfulness of classes, in-depth interviews with sub-sample where some raised issue of classes attended though was not asked about. Evaluative data on course is by product of study whose focus is on effect of incarceration and parole on young men’s relationships with their children.	Approx 40 parenting class sessions observed in 4 parole offices. Around 200 fathers who had participated in course surveyed, in-depth interviews with 20 (though not all will, necessarily, have completed parenting course).	Classes generally viewed positively and felt by men to be helpful. Men reported benefiting through learning background knowledge, mastering specific techniques and learning new behaviour patterns. Observations suggest young men benefit because they are forced to think about fatherhood and to learn some alternatives to their old behaviour patterns with children.
Parra-Cadona et al. (2006) (Lead author developed and delivered course).	1 course in 1 parole setting in US. Emotional, behavioural and cognitive goals. 6 sessions of 2 h. Participation required of selected parolees, all fathers. Maximum 4 participants. Led by first author (marriage and family therapy graduate student) and parent educator.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. Repeat interviews (n = 3) over 2 month period with teen fathers who had completed course, focussing on their experiences as group participants and ways group processes influenced their experiences as fathers.	6 participants	Men reported: liking and finding course useful, wanting it to continue beyond 6 sessions, an initial defensiveness against participating in the group which soon dissipated, interactions with group leaders and fellow participants facilitated disclosure of personal experiences and challenged their views of their role as fathers, every topic addressed was beneficial.
Renton (2002) (Author involved in developing and delivering course)	1 course – Family Matters – delivered in unspecified number of UK YOIs (course delivered 22 times). Includes skills based sessions. 6 sessions of 2 h. Group size 8–12. Run by New Bridge, includes session from sexual health outreach workers.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. Evaluation forms completed by young offenders. Author’s own views deriving from her involvement in running courses.	Course delivered to 209 prisoners but article does not specify how many filled in evaluation forms.	Men positive about course and report greater awareness of the practical and emotional issues surrounding fatherhood and far greater understanding of contraception, STDs and testicular cancer.
Sherlock (2004)	2 courses in 2 UK YOIs. Both largely information based. Course A includes video story initiative where fathers filmed reading stories from books, film sent to child. Bonding visit for inmates completing course. 6 full days over a week.Course B offered to all inmates.	Retrospective uncontrolled study. Focus groups with young offender parents, their friends, family and staff. At YOI A, 4 stages of data collection with staff and prisoners and 1 with families and at YOI B 4 stages of data collection with staff and prisoners and 3 with families (respondents not necessarily same) over 18 month period, covering range of family-related issues.	No numbers provided.	Course A: prisoner feedback that more publicity needed about parenting course, they only do course to receive a bonding visit, course very helpful; staff feedback that would be good to extend parenting course to whole YOI but staffing levels mean this is not possible, module needs to be included on parenting from a distance to acknowledge status of men as prisoners, not enough room for ‘reward’ bonding visits to be done every week, course needs to focus more on children under three, the storytelling element works well. Course B: prisoner feedback that partners should be able to see what is covered on parenting and if parenting course is completed they should be entitled to more visits; staff feedback that beneficial if partners had more information about course or could attend some of sessions.