Impact and Evidence series
Baby Steps in a
prison context
Parents perspectives
Helen Brookes and Denise Coster
NSPCC Evaluation department
November 2014
Impact and Evidence series
This report is part of the NSPCC’s Impact and Evidence
series, which presents the findings of the Society’s
research into its services and interventions. Many of
the reports are produced by the NSPCC’s Evaluation
department, but some are written by other organisations
commissioned by the Society to carry out research on
its behalf. The aim of the series is to contribute to the
evidence base of what works in preventing cruelty to
children and in reducing the harm it causes when abuse
does happen.
Contents
Acknowledgements4
KEY FINDINGS: YOUNG PEOPLE’S VERSION
5
KEY FINDINGS
6
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
7
Method7
Key findings and implications
7
Chapter 1: Background and Method
1.1 Background
1.2 Method
Chapter 2: Outcomes for Parents
10
10
11
13
2.1 New knowledge and skills
2.2 Confidence and reassurance
2.3 Recognition of ‘parent status’
2.4 Relationships with partners 2.5 Relationship with babies
2.6 Reoffending 2.7 Support and informed advice 13
14
14
15
16
18
18
Chapter 3: Impact of the Prison Context 20
3.1 Lack of control
3.2 Social isolation 3.3 Relationships
3.4 Additional challenges
20
21
22
22
Chapter 4: What Worked Well and Suggested
Improvements25
4.1 What worked well
4.2 Suggested improvements 25
28
Chapter 5: Conclusion
30
Appendix 1: Interview topic guide (female prisoners and
female partners)
31
Appendix 2: Interview topic guide (male prisoners)
35
Impact and Evidence series
3
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Baby Steps practitioners and
administrators for their help and support in recruiting service users for
the interviews on which this report is based. We are also grateful to
staff at HMP Newhall, HMP Bronzefield, HMP Armley, HMP Parc,
and Wetherby YOI for helping to set up interviews with parents who
attended the programme in these prisons.
4
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
KEY FINDINGS: YOUNG
PEOPLE’S VERSION
Baby Steps is a programme to help new parents. The NSPCC has
done some research to find out what parents who participated in the
programme in prison thought of it by talking to 18 people who had
done it. These are the main things they told us:
• Mums and dads liked spending time with each other and with their
babies on the programme and said that they felt closer because of it.
• Mums and dads who were in prison said they had found out a lot
about how to be a good parent from Baby Steps. They had enjoyed
being able to talk about their baby with the staff and other parents.
• Dads were happy that the programme had helped mums to cope on
their own while they were in prison. It made them feel less guilty
about not being at home to help them.
• Parents really enjoyed being able to come to the group and talk to
the other parents. They also liked the fact that the staff answered all
their questions.
• Pregnant women in prison said that they could not always do
the things they had learnt on the programme because of the
prison rules.
• The programme works best when mums and dads come to the
group together, and when they carry on coming to the group after
their baby is born.
Impact and Evidence series
5
KEY FINDINGS
Baby Steps is a perinatal education programme the NSPCC has
developed in partnership with parenting experts at Warwick
University. As part of the evaluation of the Baby Steps programme,
18 interviews were undertaken with a sample of parents who had
completed the programme in prison because either they or their
partner were a prisoner. The key findings were:
• Parents said that important benefits of the Baby Steps programme
were that it improved their communication skills and enabled
them to spend extra time with their partner. Some parents also said
their relationships with their partners and babies had improved as
a result.
• The programme was seen as an important source of information
for parents in prison because there was little other information or
guidance about parenting available. The sessions were also valued as
a place where prisoners’ status as a parent was recognised.
• For fathers in prison, an additional benefit of the programme was
that it helped equip their partners to cope better without them.
This lessened their feelings of frustration and guilt about not being
able to provide the support they wanted to.
• A key factor in the success of the programme was the sense of
having dedicated time and space for parents to address their
concerns and to share experiences with other parents.
• The lack of control that female prisoners felt they had over their
lives, and the social isolation they experienced as a result of being in
prison limited the extent to which they felt they could implement
what they had learnt on the programme.
• The findings suggest that the programme works best when both
parents are able to attend together and when it includes both preand postnatal sessions. It is also important that the programme is
flexible enough to take into account the constraints of the prison
context and the transient nature of the prison population.
6
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Baby Steps is a perinatal education programme developed by
the NSPCC in partnership with parenting experts at Warwick
University. The intervention is a group-based programme delivered
to disadvantaged parents from the 28th week of pregnancy. The
programme aims to help vulnerable parents manage the transition to
parenthood successfully, with a particular emphasis on the relationship
between partners and the development of a positive parent-infant
relationship. As well as being run at a number of sites for parents in
the community, the programme has also been delivered in two men’s
prisons, two women’s prisons and one young offenders institute in
order to make it accessible to couples where one partner is a prisoner.
Qualitative interviews conducted as part of a formative evaluation
of the programme during the first year suggested that attending
the programme in a prison context may affect parents’ experiences
of the programme and the outcomes they identify. As a result,
further interviews were conducted with a sample of parents who
had completed the programme in a prison setting to explore their
experiences in more depth.
Although the primary aim of these interviews was to explore
parents’ experiences of taking part in the Baby Steps programme
in a prison context, the interviews also probed their experiences
of pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood. This was in order
to gain an understanding of the context in which they were doing
the programme; what other information, services and support were
available to them, and whether this affected their experience of
the programme.
Method
The component of the evaluation that explored experiences of
taking part in the programme in prison involved 18 face-to-face
semi-structured interviews conducted with a sample of prisoners and
their partners. It was not possible to employ a purposive sampling
strategy due to the small number of parents who had completed
the programme and the challenges of recruitment in prisons. A
convenience sample was therefore selected.
Impact and Evidence series
7
Key findings and implications
Parents who had completed the Baby Steps programme in a prison
context were able to identify a range of positive outcomes of attending
the programme. As was the case for parents who had completed the
programme in the community, they had acquired new knowledge
about what to expect during pregnancy, labour and birth, and in
their role as a new parent. They had also developed new skills in
practical baby care and learnt how to communicate effectively with
their partners and babies. The programme was a particularly important
source of information for parents who were prisoners because limited
information was available to them within the prison.
Parents felt more confident as a result of being better informed about
what to expect during the perinatal period and having a forum to ask
questions. Fathers who were prisoners felt reassured by the fact that
the programme had equipped their partners to cope better without
them, which lessened their feelings of frustration and guilt about not
being there to support them.
As was the case for parents in the community, participants said the
new skills they had learnt in conflict management and effective
listening had led to improvements in their relationship with their
partner. Similarly, parents said that they felt closer to their baby as a
result of learning about the importance of interacting with them, and
how to do this at different stages of development. What had improved
their relationships the most however, was the extra time that they
were able to spend with their partners and babies during the Baby
Steps sessions. In particular, they valued the relaxed nature of the
sessions, which enabled them to engage in activities they could not
do on a normal prison visit. This included feeding and changing their
baby, and having a degree of physical contact with their partner.
As was the case for parents in the community, parents in prison felt
supported by having a dedicated space in which they could raise
concerns. This was particularly helpful for this group of parents
because they felt that the support available to them within the
prison was limited. They also found it useful to share experiences
with other parents in the group, with whom they developed
supportive relationships.
One outcome that was specific to parents in prison was that attending
the programme had helped them to come to terms with the reality
of the pregnancy, which some had struggled with because there had
been little acknowledgement of pregnancy or parenthood in prison.
The Baby Steps sessions were valued as a place where their status as a
parent or parent-to-be was recognised.
8
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
Although parents identified a range of positive outcomes, they also
highlighted a number of ways in which the prison context impacted
on their experience of the programme and limited the extent to which
they were able to implement the learning. Pregnant women who
were prisoners said that there were many aspects of their lives over
which they had little control. This meant that although they found the
information and advice helpful, they were constrained in terms of how
much of it they were able to implement. For example, the programme
aims to promote healthy eating, but prisoners have to eat the food
that is provided to them. In some cases, this had led to them feeling
anxious and frustrated.
The social isolation of the prison context also impacted on the extent
to which parents could implement the learning from the programme
in relation to strengthening their social networks, as they only had
limited contact with partners, family and friends. And although they
had developed supportive relationships on the programme, they only
had the opportunity to interact with other parents from the group
if they were housed in the same prison wing. In some cases, parents
perceived the NSPCC as being able to provide a service beyond the
scope of the Baby Steps programme, which had led to disappointment.
This was exacerbated by practitioners being unable to provide
additional support outside of the sessions, or to signpost them to any
other services not available in prison.
The implications of these findings for the delivery of Baby Steps or
indeed any antenatal programme in prisons is that a lot of flexibility
needs to be built into the programme to take into account the
constraints of the prison context. The need for a flexible model
also arises from the transient nature of the prison population, which
requires practitioners to adapt content to the specific needs of the
group of parents attending a particular session. The findings suggest
that the current format for delivering the programme works well with
this population of parents. However, the programme works best when
both parents are able to attend together and when it includes both
pre- and postnatal sessions.
Impact and Evidence series
9
Chapter 1:
Background and Method
1.1 Background
Baby Steps is a perinatal education programme developed by the
NSPCC in partnership with parenting experts at Warwick University.
The intervention is a group-based programme of nine sessions
delivered to disadvantaged parents from the 28th week of pregnancy,
including three sessions after the birth. The programme aims to help
vulnerable parents manage the transition to parenthood successfully,
with particular emphasis on the relationship between partners and the
development of a positive parent-infant relationship. The programme
also aims to create social support for parents and to foster their
resilience. As well as being run at a number of sites with parents in
the community, the programme has also been delivered in two men’s
prisons, two women’s prisons and one young offenders institute in
order to make it accessible to couples where one partner is a prisoner.
Qualitative interviews conducted as part of a formative evaluation of
the programme during the first year found that parents identified a
range of positive outcomes as a result of attending the programme.
They said that it had helped them become more confident in their
parenting and they had gained new skills, which meant that they
communicated better with their partners and babies, resulting in
stronger relationships. This first phase of the evaluation included
interviews with some parents who were in prison and their partners.
The findings suggested that although they reported similar outcomes
to parents in the community, their experience of the programme may
have been affected by being in prison and in future it may be necessary
to tailor the programme to cater for these parents.
To follow up on these findings, a second round of interviews was
conducted with a sample of 18 parents who had completed the
programme in a prison setting in order to explore their experiences
in more depth. The interviews also explored their experiences of
pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood in prison, to gain an
understanding of the context in which they were doing Baby Steps;
what other information, services and support were available to
them, and whether this affected their experience of the programme.
The number of sessions attended by parents varied due to the
transient nature of the prison population – as did the content of the
programme, due to adaptions made at a local level to accommodate
the challenges of the particular prison.
10
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
1.2 Method
This component of the Baby Steps evaluation used a qualitative
approach because the aim was to gain more understanding of the
barriers and facilitators to the programme being delivered in a prison
setting, and also to explore in detail the experiences of those who take
part in that setting. A qualitative methodology is the most appropriate
for those objectives.
Sample
As only a small number of parents had completed the programme at
the time the study took place and gaining access to them within prison
was challenging, a convenience sampling strategy was used. The final
sample consisted of 18 prisoners (and partners) between the ages of 17
and 43 who were drawn from four prisons: Armley, Parc Bridgend,
Newhall, Bronzefield, and one young offenders institute, Wetherby
YOI. Of the 12 women prisoners, four were still pregnant at the time
of interview while the other eight had already had their babies and
were housed in a mother and baby unit. It was decided not to wait
until those who were still pregnant had had their babies to interview
them, as they would be released before the birth and interviewing
them in the community would have posed logistical difficulties.
Table 1. Composition of sample by gender and prisoner status
Female prisoner
Male prisoner
Female partners of
prisoners
12
4
2
Sample size
(N)
18
Recruitment
Practitioners who delivered the programme to parents sought written
consent from them to take part in the evaluation at the beginning
of the programme. Consent forms were collected by the evaluation
team, who selected a sample of interviewees and then contacted the
prisons directly to establish which parents were still in custody and
available for interview. The evaluator requested that prison staff seek
confirmation from parents who had consented that they were still
happy to proceed before setting up the interviews. This was checked
again by the evaluator before the interview started. Prisoners’ partners
who were living in the community were contacted directly.
Impact and Evidence series
11
Data collection
Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with the
parents. Male prisoners were interviewed in a room used for legal
visits and female prisoners were interviewed either in the legal room
or in their cell. Partners of prisoners living in the community were
interviewed at home. Participants were reimbursed for their time
either with a voucher, a postal order or a nursery rhyme book to the
value of £10. Interviews were either recorded with a digital recorder,
or detailed notes of the interview were taken. Transcripts were then
produced for analysis.
Informed consent, confidentiality and data protection
It was made clear to participants that all data would be kept
confidential unless a child protection concern was identified, in
which case standard NSPCC child protection procedures would be
followed. All electronic data was stored securely in password-protected
electronic files, and hard copies of information were stored in locked
cabinets. Data has been reported on an aggregate rather than individual
basis and therefore does not include any identifying details. Names
used as quote labels in this report are pseudonyms.
Limitations of the research
Due to the fact that the analysis was based on data from a convenience
sample, it is unlikely that the views expressed reflect the full range
and diversity of those in the wider population of parents who have
completed Baby Steps in prison. Three out of the 12 women in our
sample were still pregnant at the time of interview, so only nine were
able to talk about whether they had used the information from the
programme during the birth of their child and when caring for their
baby in a prison context. Though every effort was made to obtain
informed consent, it may have been compromised by the fact that
those parents who were prisoners may have felt obliged to take part
in the interviews. This may have affected their willingness to express
their views and share their experiences.
12
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
Chapter 2:
Outcomes for Parents
Parents who had attended the Baby Steps programme in prison were
able to identify a range of positive outcomes from attending the
programme. While many of these were similar to those reported by
parents in the community, there were some key differences both in
the outcomes that they reported and in the mechanisms by which
they occurred.
2.1 New knowledge and skills
Parents who had attended Baby Steps in prison had acquired new
knowledge about what to expect during pregnancy, labour and birth
and in their role as a new parent. This was useful both for first-time
parents, who gained valuable new information, and to those who had
older children, for whom it provided a refresher. The programme
was seen as a particularly important resource in a prison context
because there was little other information or guidance about parenting
available. Female prisoners did have regular midwife appointments
but, as is the case in the community, these were short and there was
little opportunity to ask questions. Also, although parents were aware
that there was a prison library, there was a lack of clarity about how
to access it and parents were not sure whether it held books relating
to pregnancy and birth. The main sources of information other than
the programme were other prisoners, prison officers, or television
programmes. This meant that they worried that the information
they were getting may not have been comprehensive enough or
possibly inaccurate. For example, it was felt that some television
programmes focusing on labour and birth presented an unrealistic and
unhelpful portrayal.
I’ve been watching One born every minute to prepare myself, but
it’s all drama and screaming. On Baby Steps though, the midwife
said it’s not really as bad as that.
(Anna, aged 27)
Mothers said they were able to put their new knowledge into practice
during pregnancy. Those who had already had their babies at the
time of interview also described ways in which they had used their
new knowledge and skills during labour, birth and in caring for their
new baby.
Impact and Evidence series
13
2.2 Confidence and reassurance
As was the case for mothers who had completed Baby Steps in
the community, those who had done the programme in a prison
context felt that they had grown in confidence as a result of gaining
knowledge and skills, particularly in terms of communicating with
babies and practical baby care.
It has made me feel much more confident that I can be a good
mother. I don’t have the support of the father and I wasn’t sure
that I could do it but I can and it will be fine.
(Summer, aged 27)
Practitioners were also able to address concerns that individuals had
about specific issues. For example, one mother who had a history
of mental illness had been worried about the risk of experiencing
postnatal depression, but felt less concerned about this having discussed
it with practitioners during Baby Steps.
Mothers also found that spending time and sharing experiences with
other pregnant women who were in the same situation as themselves
increased their confidence. For those who were pregnant, being
in groups alongside women who had already had their babies was
reassuring because they could see they were coping well. Fathers in
prison who attended the programme recognised that their partners
had grown more confident and felt that it had equipped their partners
to cope better alone. This helped allay their feelings of frustration and
guilt about the fact that they were unable to support their partners
through the challenges of pregnancy and birth.
The biggest thing was that it gave my partner more confidence
about giving birth on her own because she was naturally anxious
about it. So knowing she was feeling more confident put me
more at ease.
(Angus, aged 38)
2.3 Recognition of ‘parent status’
Some prisoners said that being pregnant in prison can make the
pregnancy feel unreal because there is a lack of acknowledgement of
it. Mothers said that they did not have the opportunity to interact
with other pregnant women or discuss their pregnancy until they
got transferred to the mother and baby unit shortly before their due
date. When they attended Baby Steps sessions they felt that their
pregnancies were valued and their status as a parent was recognised.
They could also share their thoughts and feelings about their babies.
14
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
It made me feel like a normal pregnant woman, not a pregnant
woman in prison. It was nice to be able to go and talk about
babies and being pregnant and not think about being in prison.
(Sophie, aged 30)
The programme encourages parents to form an attachment with
their unborn child through learning about their baby’s stage of
development, and imagining his or her future characteristics. Parents
said that this information had helped them to come to terms with the
reality of the pregnancy, which some said they had been struggling
to do.
It made me realise more about how I was going to be a mum
and stuff like that because it didn’t feel real when I first come to
prison. I was only like a few weeks pregnant, it just felt weird, I
don’t know. When they showed us the books and stuff like that
and like what stage the baby was at then that’s what made it feel
more real.
(Suzie, aged 21)
The information provided was particularly important for fathers in
prison because they said that they had felt disconnected from the
pregnancy as they were not living with their partners on a day-today basis and did not have the opportunity to observe the physical
changes associated with pregnancy. For some fathers the recognition
of impending parenthood provided by the Baby Steps groups helped
them to process how they felt about the forthcoming changes to
their lives.
Doing the programme made me feel excited about having a
baby, before that I was just really worried about it changing my
life too much.
(Kyle, aged 17)
2.4 Relationships with partners
As was the case for parents in the community, participants who had
attended Baby Steps with their partner said that they had learnt new
conflict management skills and how to listen to each other more
effectively, which they felt had brought them closer together. They
also felt that their relationship had improved because of the extra time
spent together during Baby Steps sessions, which were longer and
more relaxed than normal prison visits. The programme sessions also
Impact and Evidence series
15
permitted some physical contact between couples, which was not the
case on a normal visit.
It’s improved our relationship because we got to see each other
more and got closer and we had a laugh and he got to spend
time with the baby; we could sit next to each other, not like on a
visit. It was a longer visit too, two hours.
(Hannah, aged 20)
The fact that a crèche was provided during the sessions also meant
that parents had quality time together as a couple without their
older children being present, which enabled them to focus more on
the baby. This was in contrast to normal prison visits, where older
children are always present. Baby Steps also helped men understand
what their partners were going through physically and emotionally,
which facilitated greater mutual understanding and improved
relationships. This was especially important because mothers whose
partners were in prison said that they often avoided talking about their
feelings or about anything negative during prison visits or phone calls
because they felt that they should focus on positive things as they had
such limited time together. Both mothers and fathers were anxious
about fathers missing out on the pregnancy due to either they or
their partner being in prison, and valued the fact that attending the
programme enabled them to feel more involved.
My husband missed nearly the whole pregnancy, it was
so disappointing and I was really worried about it. But the
programme helped because it meant that at least he got the
chance to see me getting bigger every week and he could hold
my stomach and feel the baby kick, which was nice.
(Janine, aged 22)
2.5 Relationship with babies
For fathers in prison, having the extra time that the postnatal Baby
Steps sessions afforded helped them develop the relationship with their
son or daughter. As the sessions were more relaxed, they were able
to do things with their baby that they had learnt on the programme,
which they would not normally be able to do on a prison visit – for
example, standing up and walking around with their baby or changing
their infant’s nappy, which they felt promoted bonding.
16
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
I really enjoyed the time with my son and can’t emphasise
enough how beneficial it was. It meant that we already had some
sort of bond when I got released.
(Angus, aged 38)
The fact that sessions were longer than a normal visit also enabled
fathers to observe their baby exhibiting a wider range of behaviours,
which again helped them in developing a relationship.
Obviously the length of time the session was on a particular
day was a big help as well, because you can see them doing
different things like smiling or crying, ‘cos as I say sometimes he
would come in on a normal visit and he would be asleep for the
whole time and it was like, “Oh he’s getting big,” and that’s it.
(Angus, aged 38)
Like parents in the community, those who had completed the
programme in prison said that they had learnt about the importance
of interacting with babies and how best to do this at each stage of
development. One woman said that she had been talking to her
unborn baby to try and familiarise him with her older children’s names
because she was aware that he could hear her. Parents felt that these
efforts had helped them feel closer to their babies. Another mother
talked about using information gained from the classes to soothe
her baby.
I used the advice about soothing babies to sleep by keeping
going up to them and putting your hand on their chest to let them
know you are there. It worked, and I was so glad.
(Janine, aged 22)
Some fathers spent time talking to their babies on a regular basis over
the phone because they realised the importance of this from attending
Baby Steps. Fathers who had been released from prison and who
were involved in the day-to-day care of their infants at the time of
interview said that they were able to fully implement the advice from
the programme. Both mothers and fathers who were prisoners felt that
they would be able to put more of the learning into practice once they
were released.
Impact and Evidence series
17
This time around I’m going to do things differently. When I get
out, I’m not going to smoke in the house. My mum taught me to
just put the baby to bed and leave it whether it cries or not but I
won’t be doing that this time, and I’ll put her to sleep in the same
room as me like they told us to do.
(Sara, aged 31).
One father also talked about his intention to forge a positive
relationship with his child once he would get of prison, partly because
of information he gained on the programme:
… I think I’ll be closer to this baby. I’m away from him now and…I
don’t want to let him go… I used to drink a lot with my other
kids… I was drunk half the time and I missed loads… when I
was doing this course and I was on about this baby I used to
think like what I’d missed out with my other kids… and I feel
guilty…yeah I will be closer to him. I think it’s partly because of
being in here, and partly because of the course.
(Paul, aged 43)
2.6 Reoffending
The Baby Steps programme played a role for some in framing the
way they thought about parenthood and made them aware of the
importance of their role in their child’s life. This, along with the
positive changes in their relationships motivated some parents to want
to stay out of prison in the future.
I need to get out of here for her and the baby. Before the course
I was fighting all the time, terrorising the officers, but now I have
calmed down. It’s made me realise that my daughter is worth
more than anyone in this jail and I want to be out for the birth. It’s
made me realise a lot. When I get out I need to figure out how I’m
going to get a job so I can support them.
(Kyle, aged 17)
18
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
2.7 Support and informed advice
The Baby Steps sessions were valued as a dedicated space in which
parents could raise concerns and worries and gain support. This
was particularly helpful for parents in prison because they felt that
the support available to them was limited. Although a range of
‘listening services’ were provided for prisoners who needed emotional
support, including the Samaritans, talking to the chaplain, or
talking to ‘listeners’ (other prisoners who have been trained by the
Samaritans), parents were reluctant to use these because of concerns
that conversations would not be kept confidential. Some parents
who had used the listening services also expressed frustration that
the services could not provide advice in general, and that they were
unable to provide advice about concerns relating to pregnancy, birth
or parenthood in particular.
I was stressed out when she was bleeding all the time like and I
wanted to know what’s happening with this placenta thing, why is
she bleeding, what happens next. I talked to the chaplain.…well,
he was a great guy you know, but he couldn’t help me because
he didn’t know anything about it.
(Paul, aged 43)
Like parents in the community, this sample of parents found it helpful
to spend time with other parents or parents-to-be who were in the
same situation as themselves, and share their experiences. Pregnant
women who were still in the main prison felt reassured by having
made contact with women who were already in the mother and
baby unit, because they would already know people when they were
transferred over to the unit. This made them feel less anxious about
moving there before they had their baby. Some parents said that they
had made contact with other group members outside of the Baby Step
sessions, with whom they had developed supportive relationships.
For some mothers, socialising with other parents on the Baby Steps
programme had given them the confidence to join parent and baby
groups in their local area when they got out of prison.
Last time I was pregnant I didn’t want to talk to anyone because
I felt like I was different to other mothers because I was a drug
user. The course showed me that I can make contact with other
mums. When I get out I’m going to give it a go and go to groups.
(Julia, aged 41)
Impact and Evidence series
19
Chapter 3: Impact of
the Prison Context
The Baby Steps programme aims to prepare new parents for the
transition to parenthood by providing them with new information and
parenting skills, strengthening their relationships with their partners
and babies and creating a social support network. Although parents
did identify a range of positive outcomes as a result of attending the
programme, they also highlighted a number of ways in which the
prison context affected their experience of the programme and limited
the extent to which they were able to implement the learning from
it. This chapter looks at these barriers in more detail and explores
some additional challenges faced by parents. It also looks at barriers to
delivery of the programme mentioned by parents.
3.1 Lack of control
Pregnant prisoners said that there were many aspects of their lives over
which they had little control. This meant that although they found
the information and advice from the programme helpful, they were
constrained in terms of how much of it they were able to implement.
Baby Steps aims to promote healthy lifestyle choices among parents in
terms of diet and exercise, but prisoners are limited to the food that
is provided for them. Similarly, they have to exercise at set times and
the choices in the types of exercise that the women can take part in
are limited. The programme also attempts to prepare women for what
to expect during labour and birth, and to recognise the signs of labour
so that they can make an informed decision about when to go to
hospital and what to bring. Women prisoners, however, said that they
did not have any control over the decision about when they should
be admitted to hospital. Moreover, some women were unable to use
the advice about what to pack in their hospital bag, because they did
not have anyone to bring items to the prison for them (as was the case
for foreign nationals). They were obliged to use a bag provided by the
prison, and had no control over what it contained.
The programme aims to equip parents with a range of practical
baby care skills and to empower them to feel confident about their
parenting decisions. However, in prison the ability to implement
the advice given on the programme and for mothers to use their
own judgement is often curtailed due to the rules of the mother and
baby unit. An example of this is that on the programme, parents are
advised to carry their infants in slings as this helps the mother and baby
become emotionally closer. In one prison however, parents were not
allowed to use slings and had to transport babies in buggies at all times,
20
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
which they resented. In addition, the buggies provided for new born
babies did not enable them to lie flat, which contradicted the advice
given on the programme.
It’s awful to have to have her in the buggy all the time and not to
be able to carry her around. On the programme they said that
babies should be able to lie flat in the buggy. They can’t do that
in the ones we have to use here, they’re not suitable.
(Patricia, aged 33)
Finally, the prison health care system acted as a barrier to mothers
using their own judgement to decide at what point their child should
see a doctor. Instead, prison staff assessed the child’s condition and
decided what action to take; mothers themselves were not allowed to
have any input.
3.2 Social isolation
The programme encourages parents to seek help from friends
and family, other group members and from local support services
during the perinatal period. Although parents did feel supported
by the programme, the prison context posed unique challenges to
implementing this advice.
Obviously the contact that parents in prison had with their family and
friends was limited. Also, they were only able to draw support from
other parents in the group if they happened to be housed in the same
prison wing or if they attended an education class together which
was not always the case. The situation was different for mothers on
the Mother and Baby Unit, who had more opportunities to interact
with each other. Even some of the prisoners’ partners, living in the
community, did not have much opportunity to spend time with
other partners on the programme because they lived in different
geographical areas to each other.
When Baby Steps is delivered in the community, practitioners are able
to work flexibly and provide a certain amount of additional support
outside of the sessions to parents either in person or by telephone.
In the prison context, however, the only contact that practitioners
had with parents was during the sessions, so the support they could
offer was more limited. Parents participating in the programme in the
community also receive information about local groups for parents
and babies, and are signposted to other support for issues such as
mental health concerns or financial management. In a prison context
however, this was not possible as parents were unable to access
these services.
Impact and Evidence series
21
In some cases, practitioners were also unable to signpost prisoners’
partners living in the community to local services. This was mostly
because they lived far away from the prison, in areas the practitioners
were not familiar with.
3.3 Relationships
The programme aims to strengthen the relationship between partners
by teaching them new communication skills and promoting mutual
understanding. In a prison context, however, not all partners were able
to attend, either because it was against the prison rules or because they
lived too far away. Prisoners who had attended without their partners
said that they regretted this and wished that their partners had also
been able to be there. This was especially true for those who did not
feel that their partner was well prepared for parenthood.
I would have really liked my girlfriend to attend. It would have
made the bond stronger between the three of us; it would have
been a lot better. She asks me a lot of questions on the phone
and I can’t answer them. I used to ring her up after the session
and tell her everything I’d learnt that day and she was buzzing,
she always used to ask for more. She’s shy, she won’t go to
an antenatal class on the outside on her own, she’d feel stupid
without me there. I sent her all the booklets and bits of paper but
it’s not the same.
(Kyle, aged 17)
In some cases, mothers in prison had arrangements in place for their
babies to spend time in the community with their partners for a period
of time each month and felt that the fathers would have benefited
from attending the programme in order to prepare them for this.
Parents who said that they had learnt new communication skills on the
programme and used these in their interactions with their partners also
highlighted that they only had limited opportunities to do so, as the
contact that they had with each other was limited to prison visits and
phone calls.
3.4 Additional challenges
The Baby Steps programme aims to increase participants’ awareness
of the importance of their role as a parent and of the impact that
their physical and emotional wellbeing can have on the wellbeing
of their baby both during the pregnancy and the postnatal period.
As parents are constrained in terms of the extent to which they are
able to implement the advice however, this led to dissatisfaction and
22
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
frustration for some. For example, parents were more aware of the
importance of a healthy diet to the wellbeing of their child, but were
not able to access this. Similarly, the programme had empowered
them to use their judgement in caring for their baby but prison rules
prevented them doing this fully.
In some cases parents believed the NSPCC would be able to provide
more support than it in fact was able to, leading to disappointment and
frustration. This was compounded by the NSPCC being unable to
signpost them to any external services within the prison context.
I thought with the NSPCC that I’d be able to get support but it
was just information. I’ve got a lot going on outside with domestic
violence that is causing me stress and I need specific help
and advice about the situation and what I’m going to do when I
get out.
(Lola, aged 30)
Due to the transient nature of the prison population, some parents
only attended one or two Baby Steps sessions. In some cases this led
to anxiety: for example, one mother in the sample had attended one
postnatal session in the early stages of pregnancy, but then was left
with more questions than she had before.
It was a lovely friendly group and wish it would come back. I only
found out about it in time to attend a couple of sessions, I’ve got
a lot of unanswered questions as a first-time mother.
(Maddy, aged 28)
For fathers in prison, being more aware of the importance of
communicating with babies in utero, and knowing that they could
hear their voice, exacerbated their anxiety about being separated
from them.
I’ve been here for the whole pregnancy and she only sees me
like two times a week. She hears my voice two times a week. So
I get scared in case she won’t know who I am for the first couple
of weeks after she’s born.
(Kyle, aged 17)
Impact and Evidence series
23
Parents valued the support that the Baby Steps programme provided,
and some experienced a sense of loss and sadness when it ended.
In addition, for some parents, an increased level of awareness of
the importance of their role as a parent and of the impact of their
behaviour on their children led to feelings of guilt about their previous
attitude to pregnancy and parenting.
I didn’t acknowledge my last pregnancy, I was in denial, I didn’t
even feel the movements of the baby. I didn’t realise how special
it was. I feel ashamed about that now.
(Julia, aged 41)
Although challenges to the delivery of the programme are not the key
focus of this report, parents did make reference to these throughout
their interviews. One of the key issues was that prison populations are
transient, so that participants in the Baby Steps programme changed
from week to week as new pregnant women or new mothers arrived
and others were released or transferred elsewhere. In addition, because
of the limited number of parents in custody who are expecting a baby,
the groups were made up of women at different stages of pregnancy
rather than being at the same stage, which is how the programme
was intended to be delivered. This meant that practitioners had to be
flexible in terms of what they covered in any given session, in order to
meet the needs of the individuals who were attending, and that topics
were not necessarily covered in the order outlined in the manual.
In some cases, practitioners were not able to take materials that are
normally used to deliver the programme (such as DVDs or scissors)
into the prison due to security rules. This meant that they had to find
alternative methods of running some of the activities.
24
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
Chapter 4: What Worked Well
and Suggested Improvements
This chapter looks first at what elements of the content and delivery
of the programme worked well in a prison context, and second at
improvements that parents suggested could be made to it.
4.1 What worked well
Overall, respondents were very positive about the Baby Steps
programme and felt that much of it worked well within
a prison context. They identified seven aspects that were
particularly important.
Attending with partners
Where both parents had attended, this had worked well and couples
felt that it had strengthened their relationships with each other and
with their baby.
It was brilliant having him there, it worked really well being able to
learn all of that stuff together on the programme.
(Janine, aged 22)
Programme structure
The postnatal sessions of the programme were highly valued and
parents appreciated having the opportunity to share their experiences
of being a new parent. These sessions were particularly significant
for fathers who were prisoners as they enabled them to spend time
with their infants. Those who had only had prenatal sessions said that
they would have liked the group to have continued after their babies
were born.
Just to be able to see how other mums are coping and to talk
about how you are coping gives you that bit more confidence, so
I think some extra classes after she had been born would have
been brilliant.
(Kathy, aged 24)
Impact and Evidence series
25
Approaches to delivering the programme
As with the parents in the community, parents who attended the
programme in prison liked the participative methods of delivery and
found the range of activities engaging, including the group discussions,
‘talk and listen’ exercise and the practical activities. The leaflets that
were given out at the end of sessions were particularly useful for
parents in prison, who have more time to read while alone in their
cells. They felt that having these leaflets to refer to helped them
remember the information better. The video of the parents interacting
with their baby and the family photos that were taken were highly
valued by parents because they did not have any other opportunities
to take videos or photos. One prop that male prisoners had found
particularly useful was the pregnancy suit, which gives a father has the
opportunity to feel the extra weight his pregnant partner is carrying
around. They felt that this had helped them empathise with the
physical challenges that their partner was experiencing.
It really was surprisingly heavy and obviously it helped you
empathise with what they have to carry around. Yeah, it was
certainly beneficial and an eye opener because when you’re
expecting your partner to come up every week for a visit and
they come in tired and a bit ratty and they’re not all cheery
to see you, even though it’s your one visit, it gives you a bit
more understanding of why that is and what they’re actually
going through.
(Angus, aged 38)
In one prison practitioners were able to source a sonogram, which
was brought into one of the sessions and enabled the fathers in prison
to hear their baby’s heartbeat for the first time. This was particularly
significant for them because they were not able to attend regular scans
with their partner.
Practitioners’ skills and attitudes
Aspects of the practitioner approach and personal attributes valued
by parents in this sample reflected those cited by parents in the
community. Practitioners were described as friendly, caring,
approachable, responsive, and knowledgeable. As was the case with
parents in the community, the ‘partnership’ approach to learning
used in the programme, where parents are guided to draw their own
conclusions and make their own decisions as opposed to just being
given advice, worked well with this sample of parents. Parents said
that they had been treated the same as they would have been if they
had attended an antenatal group in the community and did not feel
26
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
that they had been discriminated against in any way because of their
prisoner status.
They was proper down to earth. It was like we was out and we’d
just gone into a class. It weren’t like we was in prison at all. It
made us feel proper welcome and everything. It was wicked.
(Kyle, aged 17)
While prison officers were always present in or just outside the room
during the Baby Steps sessions, they usually remained at a distance
from where the group of parents were sitting. Parents appreciated this,
and said that they would have felt inhibited if the officers had been
within earshot. In one instance, the pregnancy officer participated in
the group and that was felt to work well, although parents would not
have felt comfortable if any of the officers from the main prison had
done so, because they felt that some of these staff were not supportive
of prisoners being allowed to attend interventions like Baby Steps.
Group setting:
This sample of parents found that participating in the programme in
a group worked well. Groups sometimes comprised only mothers,
fathers, or couples. Other groups were attended by a mixture of
couples and single mothers or fathers. Perhaps surprisingly, all of these
formats were felt to work well. One mother who was in a mixed
group said that she had initially had reservations about the presence of
men, but felt reassured by the setting of ground rules and in retrospect
found it heartening to see men showing an interest in babies. Like
parents in the community, they felt that the relatively small size of
the groups was conducive to creating a ‘safe space’ where they felt
comfortable talking about personal issues and also enabled them to ask
questions. The ground rules about respecting other people’s points
of view and about confidentiality were felt to have been crucial in
creating this environment.
One-to-one advice
Although they felt it was advantageous to attend the programme in
a group, parents still appreciated the opportunity to speak to staff on
an individual basis during the breaks. This was even more important
for parents in prison than for those in the community, as they did
not have the option of making contact with practitioners outside of
the session.
Impact and Evidence series
27
Timings and refreshments
Parents in prison did not have any difficulties attending the
programme in terms of timing. They would usually have been in work
or education at the time that the Baby Steps sessions were running
and were happy to attend the programme instead. Like parents in
the community, parents in prison appreciated the healthy snacks and
drinks that were provided during the sessions. They were particularly
highly valued by this population of parents because they perceived
their diet within the prison to be inadequate both in terms of quality
and quantity.
4.2 Suggested improvements
Parents made a number of suggestions for additional content and
modifications to the way the programme was delivered in prisons,
which are detailed in this section.
Additional content
Parents said that they would have liked the programme to include
content on how to manage and maintain relationships with loved
ones on the outside while in prison, because this was something they
struggled with. In particular, they were concerned about maintaining
positive relationships with their older children and would have
welcomed guidance around this. Mothers in prison would also have
liked some advice on how to promote relationships between their
baby and older siblings on the outside.
One father, who had been released from prison at the time of
interview, felt that it would be helpful for the programme to prepare
fathers in prison for how to establish a relationship with their babies
when they are released. He felt it would be useful to consider ways
of promoting bonding during what could be a challenging transition
period, and recounted the initial difficulties he had faced when he
returned home.
When I came out of prison there wasn’t that instant bond that
I had with my first child, you know, holding her from birth and
being there every minute of the day or as much as I could. Yeah,
it took about a week for him to get used to me being home all the
time, it was hard.
(Angus, aged 38)
28
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
Fathers also suggested some additions to the programme they felt
would help strengthen their relationship with their baby while still in
prison. One was for them to make a recording of their voice talking
to their baby, which their partner could then play back for the baby
to become accustomed to their father’s voice – much like the ‘Story
Book Dads’ programme, already running in prisons, where men
record themselves reading a story to be played back to their older
children. Another suggestion was for fathers to be able to bathe their
babies during one of the postnatal sessions, which was felt to be a
valuable bonding experience.
Topics that women would have liked the programme to include were
C-section, which they did not feel had been covered in much detail,
and what to expect when a baby withdraws from methadone. One
woman would have liked specific advice about issues of domestic
abuse she was experiencing. Mothers in prison also felt that they
would have benefited from learning some relaxation exercises on
the programme to do while pregnant, as they felt that the prison
environment had an adverse effect on their stress levels, which they
realised could affect the welfare of their unborn babies.
Additional contact with practitioners
Parents felt they would have benefited from being able to contact
the practitioners by telephone outside of the sessions, as is the case
for parents doing the programme in the community. As previously
discussed, they did not feel that appropriate advice and support was
available to them in prison.
I was worried about my Missus, I didn’t understand what was
happening to her and there was no one to ask. If I could have just
spoken to one of them [practitioners], you know, had a phone
number to ring, it would have been a big help.
(Steven, aged 23)
Better publicity
It was felt that the Baby Steps programme could be better publicised
within the prison because some parents had not been aware of it until
it had been running for a few weeks and were then disappointed to
have missed some of the sessions.
Impact and Evidence series
29
Chapter 5: Conclusion
The findings from this study suggest that attending the Baby Steps
programme was beneficial for parents in prison and their partners.
Many of the outcomes they identified as a result of the programme
were similar to those identified by parents who had completed it
in the community, such as acquiring new knowledge and skills;
feeling more confident about their parenting; feeling supported, and
improvements in their relationships with partners and infants. The
programme was an important source of information and support
especially for these parents, because access to such information is
limited in prison, and they felt isolated.
Although the learning from the programme was valuable for these
parents, there were elements they were unable to implement because
of the rules of the prison and the lack of control they had over their
day-to-day lives. The implication of this for the delivery of Baby
Steps – or indeed any other antenatal programme in prisons – is that
a degree of flexibility needs to be built into the model so that it can
be adapted to take into account the constraints of the prison context.
Ideally, preliminary work should be done with prison staff to establish
current practice in supporting pregnant women and soon-to-be
fathers within the particular prison, so that programme delivery can be
tailored accordingly.
The need for a flexible model of delivery also arises from the transient
nature of the prison population and the likelihood that parents will be
at different stages of pregnancy or parenthood. Therefore practitioners
need to be able to deliver content that best suits the needs of the
group of parents who attend a particular session. However, the current
approach and activities used to deliver Baby Steps worked well with
parents in the prison population. Prison rules about security affect
what materials can be brought in, so that adaptions need to be made to
some activities used to deliver the programme.
Although parents said that the programme had been an important
source of support for them, this was limited by the fact that
practitioners were not able to make contact with parents outside of the
sessions or refer them on to other services, as they would normally do
in the community. Practitioners can signpost them to support within
the prison, however, so it is important for practitioners to identify
what services are available in advance. It would nevertheless also be
beneficial for parents in prison to be able to contact practitioners by
telephone with specific worries that they have between sessions.
30
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
Appendix 1: Interview topic
guide (female prisoners and
female partners)
Key objectives of interview
• Explore parents’ experience of pregnancy, childbirth and
early parenthood.
• Explore participants’ experience of the programme
(including any modifications) and the range of factors that
affect their experience of it.
• Explore what other services and support were/are available
to them both in prison and outside.
• Identify any gaps or additional needs they have.
Introduce evaluation.
Explain purpose of evaluation and reporting.
Explain confidentiality, data protection, and permission to record.
Background
Before talking more about your experience of Baby Steps, it would be helpful to
have some idea of your background and how you are finding things now.
• Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your family?
(Probe: number of children; family situation; how long been in
prison?)
• How are you finding being pregnant/having a baby? (Probe:
crying; sleep patterns?)
Initial engagement in Baby Steps and expectations
I would like to talk a bit more now about how you found out about Baby
Steps and what you thought the programme would be like.
• Can you tell me a bit about how you found out about Baby Steps?
• Have you ever attended any other antenatal classes in the past?
• What were you expecting from Baby Steps?
Impact and Evidence series
31
Experience of the programme
Thinking about the actual programme now, I would like to talk about your
experience of being on the programme.
• Once you started the course, can you tell me how easy it was for
you to attend the course? What made it easy or difficult to attend
the programme? (Probe: timings, other commitments etc?)
• Who did you attend the programme with and how did this work
out?
Topics covered by Baby Steps:
• Baby Steps covers lots of different topics. Can you describe to me
the topics or sessions that you found most helpful? Were there any
sessions that were not so helpful to you? What were the reasons
for this?
• How easy did you find it to remember the information you were
given? Did it feel like it was important to you?
• There are lots of different activities that you take part in when
you attend the Baby Steps programme (group discussions, practical
exercises with dolls putting nappies on etc). Which activities did
you find most useful; which were less useful? Can you tell me why
you thought this?
Relationships on the programme
I am really interested to hear about how you got on with other people on
the programme.
• Can you describe the experience of being in the group with other
parents; how did this work? What were the good things about
this; which things were less helpful? (Did you make friends; have
contact outside the class?)
• How did you feel about your relationships with the staff who
delivered the programme? Can you explain why you felt this way?
• Was there a member of staff from the prison present during the
sessions? How did you feel about them being present? (Would it
matter which officer it was? If so, why?)
32
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
Experience of the perinatal period and impacts of Baby Steps
I would like to talk about how you felt during pregnancy, birth and after your
baby was born.
Thinking about when you were pregnant:
• How did you find being pregnant? (How did you feel physically/
emotionally?)
• How often did you see the midwife? Could you describe what
happened during these appointments? Did you find them helpful?
• Did you have any other support during your pregnancy? (Other
professionals; other prisoners?)
• How does this compare with previous pregnancies outside prison
(if applicable)?
• Do you think that the programme helped you when you were
pregnant? (In what ways?)
Thinking about the birth of your baby (if applicable):
• Can you tell me about how the birth of your baby went? (Natural
birth or C-section; location; pain relief?)
• How did you get to hospital? (Length of time; transport?)
• Did you have a birth partner? (Who; how did it go? Any chance to
prepare with them?)
• How were the hospital staff during the birth and aftercare? (Probe:
breastfeeding support?)
• How did this compare with previous birth experience (if applicable)?
• Do you think that the knowledge or information provided during
the programme helped you during the birth? (If yes, in what ways?)
Thinking about the first few weeks with your baby (if applicable):
• How did you find the first few weeks with your baby? How did
you feel physically and emotionally?
• What support or help did you have during that time?
• Do you think that you used the knowledge or information
provided during the programme during the first few weeks with
your baby?
• How easy or not was it to follow the advice and information that
were suggested on the programme? What made it easy or not
so easy?
• How would you describe the effect that the programme has had
on you?
Impact and Evidence series
33
• Can you describe how attending the programme made you feel,
and why it made you feel like that?
Conclusion
• Are there any changes you would like to see in the Baby
Steps programme?
• Is there anything else you would like to say about the Baby Steps
programme at this stage?
34
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
Appendix 2: Interview topic
guide (male prisoners)
Key objectives of interview
• Explore parents’ experience of their partner’s pregnancy, the
birth of their child and early parenthood.
• Explore participants’ experience of the programme
(including any modifications) and the range of factors that
affect their experience of it.
• Explore what other services and support were/are available
to them in prison.
• Identify any gaps in the programme or additional needs they
have.
Introduce evaluation.
Explain purpose of evaluation and reporting
Explain confidentiality, data protection, and permission to record.
Background
Before talking more about your experience of Baby Steps, it would be helpful to
have some idea of your background and how you are finding things now.
• Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your family?
(Probe: number of children; family situation; how long been
in prison?)
• Do you have regular visits from your partner (and children)? How
often? For how long?
Initial engagement in Baby Steps and expectations
I would like to talk a bit more now about how you found out about Baby
Steps and what you thought the programme would be like.
• Can you tell me a bit about how you found out about Baby Steps?
• Have you ever attended any other antenatal classes in the past? (Or
been offered any?)
• What were you expecting from the programme?
Impact and Evidence series
35
Experience of the programme
Thinking about the actual programme now, I would like to talk about your
experience of being on the programme.
• Once you started the programme can you tell me how easy it
was for you to attend the programme? What made it easy or
difficult to attend the programme? (Timings; permission; other
commitments, etc.)
Topics covered by Baby Steps:
• Baby Steps covers lots of different topics. Can you describe to me
the topics or sessions that you found most helpful? Were there any
sessions that were not so helpful to you? What were the reasons
for this?
• How easy did you find it to remember the information you were
given? Did it feel like it was important to you?
• There are lots of different activities that you take part in when
you attend the Baby Steps programme (group discussions, practical
exercises with dolls putting nappies on etc). Which activities did
you find most useful; which were less useful? Can you tell me why
you thought this?
Sessions after the baby was born (if applicable):
• After your baby was born you came back to the programme for
two sessions. Can you describe these sessions to me? How did
you feel?
Relationships on the programme
I am really interested to hear about how you got on with other people on
the programme.
• Can you describe the experience of being in the group with other
parents? How did this work? What were the good things about
this; which things were less helpful?
• Did you spend time with any of the men from the group outside of
it? Would you have wanted to?
• How did you feel about your relationships with the staff who
delivered the programme? Can you explain why you felt this way?
• Was there a member of staff from the prison present during the
sessions? How did you feel about them being present? Would it
have mattered which prison officer had attended? If so, why?
36
Baby Steps in a prison context: Parents perspectives
Experience of the perinatal period and impacts of Baby Steps
I would like to talk about how you felt during your partner’s pregnancy, birth
and after your baby was born.
• How did you feel during your partner’s pregnancy? Was it difficult
to be living apart?
• Do you feel that the Baby Steps programme helped you during
your partners’ pregnancy in any way?
Thinking about the birth of your baby:
• When and how did you find out that your baby had been born?
• Would you have wanted to be present at the birth if it had been
possible?
• When did you first see your baby? Any extra visits? Were you
allowed to hold the baby?
• Have you used the knowledge or information provided during the
programme during the time you have spent with your baby? Do
you think you will use it in the future?
• What is it like to be a dad in prison? Do you think that attending
the programme has helped your relationship with your baby in
any way?
• Are there ways that your relationship with your partner has
changed since you have been in prison? Do you think Baby Steps
has had any effect on your relationship?
• Have there been any changes in your relationship since your baby
was born? Did Baby Steps prepare you for these changes?
• How would you describe the effect that the programme has had
on you?
• Can you describe how attending the programme made you feel,
and why it made you feel like that?
Just thinking about what support is available in prison:
• If you were feeling a bit down, is there anyone that you could
go and talk to about that, like a counselling service? Is it a walkin service?
Conclusion
• Are there any changes you would like to see in the Baby
Steps programme?
• Is there anything else you would like to say about the Baby Steps
project at this stage?
Impact and Evidence series
37
www.nspcc.org.uk
Registered charity numbers 216401and SC037717. Photography by Getty Images, posed by models. 7080/11.