In partnership with Himaya Haven CIC, Birmingham City University is conducting community-led social action research. The research is assessing the effectiveness of the ‘BAME Families of Prisoners programme’, a support programme delivered by Himaya Haven for global majority families whose loved ones are in the Criminal Justice System.
Why is the research important?
Families of prisoners may face a unique spectrum of challenges, from the personal and emotional consequence of a loved one being in prison to financial pressures and navigating structures and processes within institutions.
These can be further complicated for global majority families with cultural, racial, and systemic boundaries. The 'BAME Families of Prisoners programme’, delivered by Himaya Haven, was focused on providing support that meets specific needs, and BCU research has sought both to underline areas of success of the programme, as well as showing areas where improvement is needed.
At the core of this research is the desire to amplify voices that are directly affected to show the results that this programme generates for the larger community.
By adopting a community-centred approach, researchers at BCU will ensure that individual voices are heard and inform future support initiatives.
A collaborative approach with key stakeholders
The project led by Principal Investigator, Dr. Nathan Kerrigan, and Co-Investigator, Dr. Eveleigh Buck-Matthews. They lead a research effort that hopes to go beyond the evaluation and leave long-lasting positive change for global majority families.
Nathan’s previous research within the voluntary sector has shown that an informal and individualised approach; creating narratives with people, reduces any perceived power relationship between participant and researcher, acknowledging individual experiences and emphasising the dignity of participants
The research is collaborative, working with a range of key stakeholders, for example, the Himaya Haven team and volunteers, statutory and third sector bodies, families of prisoners, and the wider global majority community.
It is through interaction with diverse groups, researchers will have an in-depth view of how the programme works, its strengths, and areas that may need further improvement.
The team will capture varied perspectives through semi-structured interviews with the Himaya Haven team and public, voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations. They will also perform observation of community events and collect video testimonies.
The research has four key aims:
- Measure the scope, scale and extent of the impact of the 'BAME Families of Prisoners' programme;
- examine what is working and what is not working as well in supporting families of prisoners and the wider community;
- investigate the relationship between HH outreach activities and support given to the wider global majority community; and,
- capture the ‘lived experience’ of global majority families of prisoners supported by Himaya Haven
The team hope to demonstrate the impact of Himaya Haven CIC in supporting local communities in Sparkbrook and wider areas of Birmingham.
How is the project unique?
This is the first review of a programme aimed solely at supporting the families of prisoners from a racially minoritised background, with strong evidence of support given to families from Pakistani and Kashmiri communities.
The study illustrates the importance of the social, cultural and geographical situatedness of an organisation and their recognition within the wider local community.
It highlights a need for local-national partnerships to apply the learnings and best practice from an organisation who predominately supports racial minoritised families in Birmingham.
Together we can continue to develop better and more supportive communities for global majority families who are affected by the Criminal Justice System.
To learn more about the project, please contact Dr. Nathan Kerrigan at Nathan.Kerrigan@bcu.ac.uk.
This research is funded by Himaya Haven CIC.