The Pacific Institute and Lambeth YOT - Parenting Project
In March 2003, The Pacific Institute (TPI) were engaged by Lambeth YOT to continue the work that had previously been funded by the Health Action Zone (HAZ), to provide a parenting programme for parents of young offenders. The majority of these parents had been given Statutory Parenting Orders by the courts, but a few were referred in a voluntary capacity through the Youth Offending Team (YOT), Lambeth Education and the Youth Inclusion Programme (YIP).
The aim of the programme was to provide interventions that delivered effective parenting skills to reduce risk- taking, anti-social and offending behaviours. It was anticipated that participation in The Pacific Institute's STEPS programme would result in an increase in self-esteem, self-efficacy and personal effectiveness on the part of the participating parents.
Furthermore, the programme aimed to engage parents and carers in the process of social re-integration and to enable parents and carers to assist their children in their educational development and to encourage parents to take an active part in their child's social development.
As well as attending the weekly group sessions of the STEPS programme, parents were offered additional support whilst undergoing the programme. This allowed for up to three pre-course meetings with the programme facilitator/s, either at the programme venue, or in their own homes. This helped to overcome some of the parents' anxieties, answered any questions or fears they had, and prepared them for the group process. It also enabled the facilitators to assess whether or not the client would benefit most from being part of a group, or receiving individual sessions. The group was composed of parents and carers from diverse cultural backgrounds. Some of the participants had particularly complex needs and faced challenges such as mental health issues, English as a second language and literacy difficulties.
Overall Findings
Over the course of the programme, the parents moved from dependency to taking more control of their situations and the issues that they were facing in relation to their children. Individuals developed noticeably increased self-esteem and self-efficacy.
The project was a great success with 87% of participants completing the entire programme. The programme proved to be accessible to all participants; the interactive style and language of STEPS was inclusive for those participants from minority ethnic backgrounds and those without basic skills. Where necessary, interpreters were provided and some individual coaching offered to ensure full understanding.
The facilitators gave feedback on progress both to the group and individually on a regular basis over the 12-week programme. The progress made by the parents linked with the desired outcomes expressed at the beginning of the project. During the programme cycle, two of the parents attended a presentation to the community safety team. They were able to talk about their positive experience of the programme and how they felt it would benefit their young people. This was a real achievement, especially as previously, they had felt unable to speak or by heard by those "in authority".
Programme facilitators found that as the weeks progressed, the participants appeared more confident and were more also more assertive and supportive of each other when sharing what were, at times, painful experiences.
They also had stories to share about how they were implementing the STEPS concepts on a weekly basis. Laughter began to feature more towards the end of the programme, and the parents felt strongly that their children should be offered the opportunity to attend a young person's equivalent programme (such as TPI's Breakthrough! or Go For It!).