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Residential parenting programmes
in the youth justice system:
An evaluation of a new pilot programme
Background
All Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) in England and Wales provide group-based parenting programmes. These are for parents attending on a compulsory basis via Parenting Orders, as well as those attending on a voluntary basis. Two YOTs are now piloting a new project, which involves adding a residential element to a group-based programme. The aim is to allow more focussed, in-depth work with parents whose children are involved in the youth justice system.
TSA has been commissioned to undertake an evaluation of this pilot project.
The Project
The two YOTS involved in the pilot project are Wessex YOT (in collaboration with the Hampton Trust), and Southwark YOT. During 2004 both YOTs will be running courses for parents which include a residential weekend.
TSA has been contracted by the Juvenile Offenders Unit in the Home Office to evaluate the effectiveness of these courses, focussing on the added value that the residential element may have. The evaluation will involve interviews with parents and children/young people participating in the courses. We will also interview course leaders and YOT staff, in order to gather their views and experiences of providing residential parenting programmes. The evaluation will be longitudinal, involving data collection before and after the courses. A control group of families who are on courses without a residential element will also be included.
Timetable
The project started in January 2004, and will be completed by September 2005.
Project Workers
Dr Debi Roker and Amanda Holt are responsible for this project.
Further information
Trust for the Study of Adolescence (TSA)
23 New Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1WZ, UK.
Tel: 01273 693311 Fax: 01273 679907