Development and evaluation of support for children with incarcerated parents and their non-incarcerated caregivers

Why is this research project needed?

Children who have an incarcerated parent can be greatly affected by the situation and struggle with difficult thoughts and feelings. Research also shows that children who have, or have had, an incarcerated parent can feel bad for a long time and in many ways, such as being depressed and having more difficulty with schoolwork. Support is then important in order to feel ok. Also, the parent or caregiver who is not incarcerated can feel bad about having a partner/co-parent in prison and need support to feel good themselves and to be able to support their child.

The support which is available for children with incarcerated and their caregivers in Sweden and is mostly provided by the non-profit sector like children's rights organizations (e.g. BUFFF and Solrosen). These organizations have extensive experience and knowledge of supporting children and parents, but the support that exists has not yet been scientifically evaluated. It is important to evaluate support interventions scientifically in order to know that it works as it is intended to and as well as possible.

What does the research project entail?

The purpose of the project is to scientifically design an intervention that can support children with incarcerated parents and their non-incarcerated caregivers to feel ok.

In order for the intervention to be as helpful as possible for children and caregivers, and to be feasible to deliver and participate in, the project will be carried out in close collaboration with persons and organizations that have extensive knowledge of supporting these children and parents, such as children's rights organizations.

During 2023-2024, the project will investigate what the intervention should contain and what is important in practical terms for it to work, implement and be able to support children and parents.

The project has been approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (reference number 2023-00439-01), which decides whether the research is beneficial and carried out in a respectful manner towards those who participate.

How do I sign up?

At the moment, we are not recruiting new participants for the project.