Evaluation Title

Family Man: an outline of the theoretical basis of the programme

Type of evaluation

Data type Qualitative

Evaluation Focus Theoretical basis of programme

Key indicator Programme design

Model of change Social Learning Theories

Methodologies Academic analysis, Programme analysis

Summary of evaluation

This review provides a proposal for a conceptual or theoretical basis for the Family Man programme.  Commisssioned by Safe Ground, Professor James Maguire examines the programme from a psychological perspective and identifies the mechanisms for change which it employs, comparing them to other recognised and accepted models and mechanisms.

This independent review examines the rationale for addressing family issues, the rationale for a structured programme, the research background and models of change to propose a theoritical basis which comprises of the cognitve, affective and psychomotor domains within the processes of the programme.

Project description

Family Man is a structured, drama-based, educational programme designed for use in HM Prisons and has been delivered for several years in a number of prison establishments. The overall objective of the programme is to help maintain links between prisoners and their families during the difficult period of separation.

Family Man is considered to achieve its effects through a combination of several types of mechanism that include:

An educational element: grounded in a process of cognitive change, progressively activated by a series of structured learning exercises

A personal development element: engendered by the use of drama-based, interactive ingredients that promote individual insight and re-evaluation of attitudes and beliefs concerning families

An interactive element: generated through activation of processes of interpersonal dynamics shown to be vital in engagement, and operative in structured groups and allied contexts.

 

Key Quote

It is likely that the programme’s effects result from a fusion of several change processes occurring synchronously and having a cumulative “synergetic” effect. It may only rarely be possible to differentiate the extent of contribution of activities from the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains, or to separate them from the roles of therapeutic group factors.

The task of delivering Family Man and of achieving a balance between the different kinds of activities involved in it is a very demanding one. The skills required for doing this successfully are of a very high level, necessitating awareness of multiple processes in parallel, with different channels of communication occurring simultaneously.


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Arts Alliance Evidence Library