An Evaluation of the Longer-Term Effectiveness of Safe Ground’s Revised Family Relationships Programme on Prisoner Graduates, their Supporters and Families, this independent study assessed the longer-term impact of the Family Man programme delivered in HMPs Belmarsh, Birmingham, Bristol, Highpoint, Leeds, Parc (Wales) and Wandsworth from 2008-10. It concluded that the ‘Revised Family Man’ had strongly contributed to:

• Developing and maintaining family ties, linking supporters firmly into goal-setting about key constituents of successful resettlement
• Enhancing skills in group work and personal development towards ETE
• Changing attitudes and behaviours towards both prison and resettlement
• Opened up a strategic path for disengaged and educationally disaffected prisoners, through drama and confidence-building.

Family Man (FM) is a seven-week full time family relationships programme, developed in response to increasing numbers of prisoners losing contact with their families and being unable to sustain a job or relationships. Supporters attend 3 workshops, giving them the opportunity to directly contribute to the progression of the offender through and beyond the course.

“There could be little doubt of the enduring impact this programme had made on these men and their families or of its consequent potential to strengthen the social bonds which could contribute to subsequent desistance from crime.”