1.3 Parenting education and training
The term “parenting training” is used to describe an array of services provided to improve parenting. With an estimated 800,000 families participating annually, parenting training is thought to be the single most commonly provided service for families. Services may be voluntary or court-ordered, and completion of a training program is often accepted by courts as evidence that parenting is improving. Participants often include:
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Families who have been reported to the child welfare system and investigated for child abuse and neglect, but screened out;
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Families involved with the child welfare system working to retain or regain custody of their children (family preservation or reunification); and
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Reunified, adoptive or guardianship families receiving post-permanency services to meet child-rearing challenges. [i]
When they incorporate key components, parenting education and training programs are shown to improve parenting effectiveness and protective factors for children. Recent research found that programs with certain characteristics are successful in helping parents deal with child conduct problems, improving parenting behaviors, and reducing child behavioral difficulties, and that changes are retained over time. A study in Oklahoma of one model of parenting education and training, parent-child interaction therapy, revealed improved outcomes for physically abused children, much lower reoccurrence of harm, and cost effectiveness. [ii]
Although parenting training is very common, an extremely small portion of programs have been evaluated, and only one percent of child welfare agencies require use of a specific program model. [iii] Successful programs avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, they match parenting education with the developmental needs of children, tailor activities to problems identified by parents, and feature parent-child interaction. They also:
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Require completion of behaviorally specific homework each week,
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Require frequent behavioral practice during sessions,
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Monitor individual progress,
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Involve at least 15 hours of individual or 25 hours of group participation,
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Include relatively intense supervision, and
[iv]
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Include hands-on learning with the child.
Evaluated models include The Incredible Years Parents Management Training from the Oregon Social Learning Center, Parent Child Interaction Therapy used in Oklahoma, and Safe Care. [v]
Policy Options:
States can promote the use of evidence-based parenting education and training by adopting one of the following policies (listed in order of increasing effectiveness):
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Require the use of evidence-based parenting education and training programs
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Require and monitor the use of evidence-based parenting education and training programs
[i]
Barth, R., Haskins, R., Wulczyn, F., Cherna, M., Simms, K., Blount, B., Hon. N. Johnson, Hon. J. Josey-Herring, & Knitzer, J. Child Protection and Parent Training Programs. Proceedings of the Brookings Institution Economic Studies and Center on Children and Families event, Washington, D.C., July 26, 2007.
http://www3.brookings.edu/comm/events/20070726.pdf
[iv]
Barth, R. Building on Strengths: Current Status and Opportunities for Improvement of Parent Training for Families in Child Welfare. Summarizing: Hurlburt, M., Barth, R.P., Leslie, L., Landsverk, J. & McCrae, J.M. 2007. Building on Strengths: Current Status and Opportunities for Improvement of Parent Training for Families in Child Welfare. In Haskins, R., Wulczyn, F., & Webb, M. B., (Eds.). Child protection: Using research to improve policy and practice (pp. 81-106). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
http://www3.brookings.edu/comm/events/20070726.pdf
[v]
Hulbert, M. et al citing Mark Chaffin and others,
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy With At-Risk Families.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_interactbulletin/