Interventions aimed at reducing youth offending have tended to focus on either parents/carers or young people. In recent years, literature has highlighted the impact of the family on the emergence of offending behaviour in adolescence (Loeber & Stouthamer-Loeber, 1987). Evidence suggests that family interventions can be more effective but harder to implement successfully (Fadden, <i>1997). </i>Research has indicated that working with both young people and their parents within a multiple family group (MFG) setting may be more effective for ‘hard to reach’ groups (McKay, <i>et </i><i>al</i>.,1995). In the present study, a qualitative methodology was used to explore the experiences of five families and two facilitators who had attended a multiple family group (MFG) for young people at risk of reoffending. Semi-structured interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The aim was to provide an in-depth account of the way in which these individuals made sense of the group process and the impact they perceived it to have on their wider lives. Six super-ordinate themes were identified. The first related to the struggles families were experiencing prior to the MFG and the way in which this impacted on their ability to access services. The second related to participants’ negative expectations of MFG intervention, largely based on previous experience of professional input. The third concerned participants’ overall positive perceptions of their involvement in the MFG. The fourth theme related to significant characteristics of the MFG that were thought to facilitate engagement. These were characterised in terms of a group ‘ethos’. The fifth theme encompassed the overall impact that participants felt the MFG had on their own lives. The final theme related to the limitations of the MFG intervention. Overall, families responded well to MFG intervention and found it to have a positive impact in terms of their relationships with one another. This study has highlighted some of the critical factors that result in these families being labelled as ‘hard to reach’ and has identified some elements within service provision that may encourage them to engage. The need to offer a follow-up service was also identified.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:657723 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Metcalfe, C. |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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