The Centre for Healthcare Innovation Research at the School of Health and Psychological Science, City, University of London welcomes Dr Anita Mehay to discuss her findings on how delivering effective family focused interventions to fathers in custody can improve the mental health, wellbeing and self-esteem of fathers and their children, as part of the research seminar series.
Abstract
Prisoners are among the most excluded members of society, often having poorer physical and mental health compared with the general population.
Many imprisoned men are fathers and their children experience poor outcomes which has particular implications for racially minoritized families and communities who are over-represented in the prison population.
Delivering effective family focused interventions to fathers in custody can improve the mental health, wellbeing and self-esteem of fathers and their children and break possible inter-generational cycles of disadvantage and reduce recidivism and inequalities.
The Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities programme (developed by the Race Equality Foundation) has been shown to significantly improve health outcomes for families when delivered in community settings.
In this presentation, I will introduce the Fathers Together study, where we aim to adapt and deliver this programme for young fathers in prison as a way to strengthen family and community relationships and reduce the enduring harms of imprisonment.
I will also discuss the deep and pervasive crisis of understaffing, overcrowding and violence which is endemic across the prison estate and implications for researchers and health improvement initiatives.
About the speaker
Dr Anita Mehay is a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Healthcare Innovation Research (CHIR) at the School of Health and Psychological Sciences.
She has developed an expertise in developing, spreading and embedding psychosocial innovations in real-world complex settings including prisons, children services and maternity care.
Anita joined City, University of London in June 2023 and was previously an Improvement Fellow at The Health Foundation and held research positions at University College London (UCL) and the University of East London (UEL).
She has a PhD in Psychology, Criminology and Sociology from Royal Holloway, University of London and is also a chartered and registered Health Psychologist.
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