Scottish Prisons Assessment and Review of Outcomes for Women (SPAROW): full report

Appendix 1. SPAROW research questions

In the table below, we have summarised research questions and proposed research methods. We added additional text and research questions (in bold) to those set out in the tender documentation.

PHASE 1: Understanding the CCU Theory of Change and assessing early implementation

Question Set 1: To what extent are the principles of gender specificity (g-s) and trauma informed (t-i) practice understood and embedded in CCUs?

• How are the g-s and t-I principles understood by women and staff? What benefits are expected to follow for women, their families, for staff and the wider justice system?
• How far have gender-specific and trauma-informed principles/approaches been implemented in practice in the new CCU model?
• How are the g-s and t-i principles/approaches working for women?
• How are the g-s and t-i principles/approaches working for staff?
• How are the g-s and t-i principles/approaches working for delivery partners?
• What are the assessment and admission criteria for women to be admitted to the CCUs?

Question Set 2: What are the lived experiences of women in CCUs?

• How do women describe their experience of living in a CCU? How do they describe their day-to-day life?
• How do women describe their relationships with other women, SPS staff and delivery partners?
• How do these compare with expectations and with experience in previous establishment?
• How do women describe their experiences of coming to be in the CCU – what was the process and the experience of moving/integrating?
• Compared to living in their previous establishment, do women experience different relational, behavioural and cultural dynamics?
• What are women's views of completing the JAS baseline survey?

Question Set 3: What are the experiences of staff (strategic, operational and frontline)

• How do staff describe their experience of working in a CCU, in a gender-specific and trauma-informed way? How do they describe their day-to-day working life?
• How do staff describe their relationships with other staff members, women in their care, and the delivery partners they work with to provide gender-specific and trauma-informed care and support to women living in a CCU? Compared to working in another establishment, are the relational dynamics different?
• Do staff feel they are supported (e.g. through training, supervisory practice, reflective practice) to work in a gender-specific and trauma-informed way?
• What are staff experiences of the process of women moving in, through and out of a CCU? How are decisions made about throughput and about engaging with outside services?

Question Set 4: What are the experiences of SPS delivery partners?

• How do delivery partners describe their experience of working in a gender-specific and trauma-informed way with other delivery partners, SPS staff and women in a CCU? How do they describe their day-to-day working life?
• How do these practices align with their outside CCU organisational practices? What are the perceived barriers for women in accessing and utilising services once in the community?
• How do delivery partners describe their relationships with other delivery partners, SPS staff and women to provide gender-specific and trauma-informed care and support to women living in a CCU? Are the relational dynamics different to working with other prison establishments?
• Do delivery partners feel they are supported to work in a gender-specific and trauma-informed way?

Question Set 5: What are the examples of successes/good practice in implementing gender-specific and trauma-informed care and support to women in custody?

• What successes/good practice have women experienced through their journey into, through and out of a CCU? What is needed to ensure sustainability?
• What successes/good practice have staff experienced working in a g-s and t-i way? What is needed to ensure sustainability?
• What successes/good practice have there been to implementing g-s and t-i principles/approaches to care and support women in custody? What is needed to ensure sustainability?

Question Set 6: What are the examples of challenges/barriers to implementing gender-specific and trauma-informed care and support to women in custody?

• What challenges/barriers have women experienced through their journey into, through and out of a CCU?
• What successes/good practice have staff experienced working in a g-s and t-i way? What is needed to ensure sustainability?
• What challenges/barriers have delivery partners experienced working in a CCU in a g-s and t-i way? How might these be mitigated?