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Parenting groups for parents whose children are in care

Parenting groups for parents whose children are in care. Mary Salveron, Fiona Arney and Kerry Lewig. The Australian Centre for Child Protection aims to… enhance life opportunities for children in Australia who are at risk of abuse or neglect through: research and strategic evaluation

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Parenting groups for parents whose children are in care

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  1. Parenting groups for parents whose children are in care Mary Salveron, Fiona Arney and Kerry Lewig

  2. The Australian Centre for Child Protection aims to… enhance life opportunities for children in Australia who are at risk of abuse or neglect through: • research and strategic evaluation • professional education • communications and advocacy • Commonwealth Government (DIISR) and University of South Australia Initiative

  3. Who are the Parents of Children in Care? Parent Characteristics • Social and economic deprivation • Domestic violence • Problematic alcohol and drug use • Mental illness • Intellectual disabilities • Young motherhood Fernandez, 1996; Fisher, Marsh, Phillips & Sainsbury, 1986; Jenkins & Norman, 1972; Kroll & Taylor, 2000; Maluccio & Ainsworth, 2003; Marsh, Ryan, Choi & Testa, 2006; Thomson & Thorpe, 2003

  4. Mainstream parenting education sessions • Delivered in group settings • Aim is to improve parenting practices and family functioning • Children present

  5. Limitations of parenting education sessions for parents whose children are in care • Parents present with a multitude of social issues • Parents do not have their children in their care • Stigma associated with having children placed in care

  6. Post-removal Issues • Isolation • Limited access to resources • Low self esteem • Feelings of powerlessness • Feelings of shame • Stigmatisation of having a child in care Burgheim, 2005; Fernandez, 1996; Levin, 1992; Thomson & Thorpe, 2003

  7. Programs for parents whose children are in care • Reviewed programs for parents whose children are in care • Australian and international research • Outcome evaluations and intervention descriptions • Identified 6 articles with search criteria • 3 out of 6 programs were evaluated • Only 1 of 6 identified was an Australian program (Thomson & Thorpe, 2004)

  8. Programs for parents whose children are in care • Maintain relationship between children in care and biological parents • Facilitate reunification • Provide parents with a supportive non-judgemental environment within which to explore problems • Structured sessions to assist in learning and practice of parenting skills (1 out of 6)

  9. Programs for parents whose children are in care • Neutral, supportive and non-judgemental environment • Parental involvement (commitment) • Characteristics of practitioners • Content of groups (parental emotions, parenting capacity, social problems)

  10. Parents Plus Playgroups • Good Beginnings and Families SA initiative • Build better parent-child relationships • Learning takes place in a non-judgemental and non-threatening environment that recognises and builds on the strength of the parent • Model interactions and behaviour techniques between parent and child • Incorporates a supervised contact visit

  11. Parents Plus Playgroup Structure • Parenting Education • Discuss parenting topics (nutrition, child development) • Delivered in a non-judgemental and non-threatening setting • Facilitators and staff are responsive to parents’ need • Flexible delivery 1 hour • Supervised Playgroup • Children brought to playgroup by Families SA volunteers • Parent and child interact (a range of • activities are available) • Parents can put into practice what they learnt in • the Parenting Education Sessions • Includes a structured component (singing time, • story time and fruit time) 1.5 hours • Parenting Education and • Debriefing Session • Discuss playgroup session (what worked well, things that didn’t work for them, changes that could be made) • Discuss parenting topics • Discuss parenting topics for the following week 1 hour

  12. Evaluation Methodology • Combination of pre-test, post-test evaluation and action research method • Focus Groups • 1:1 Interviews • Questionnaires • Playgroup Satisfaction • Parenting Confidence • Social Support • Feelings

  13. Process of Evaluation

  14. Interview and Focus Group Findings • Extremely positive feedback about the playgroups from parents, staff and volunteers Very helpful group. It’s helping Mums see kids not in their care. It’s fun and I feel good about coming. The playgroups have expanded. An hour and a half before the kids come we learn about different parenting strategies, how to cope in stressful situations, behaviour management, safety, healthy eating, confidence building that is about working on your self esteem and also encouraging your kids to have more confidence in themselves. Parent For a number of parents, coming to this group is the highlight of their week, where they have fun, meet their friends and most important of all spend time with their children. Here, they also find themselves I think. Staff/Volunteer

  15. Facilitators to parental participation • Characteristics of the playgroup team • Environment in which services are delivered • Mode of delivery • Group characteristics • Motivation and commitment of parents

  16. Barriers to parental participation • Transport Issues • Angry parents • Fluctuating group sizes • Referral process • Parents can no longer attend playgroup if have children at home

  17. Questionnaire Findings • Parents Plus Playgroup Satisfaction • Stage 1 high level of satisfaction. Significantly higher satisfaction in Stage 2 • Parenting Sense of Competence • No difference in overall parent confidence subscale • Significant increase with the parenting role from Stage 1 to Stage 2

  18. Questionnaire Findings • Social Support • No difference between Stage 1 and Stage 2 • About Your Feelings • No differences in parents’ pride and guilt scores • Decrease in parents’ shame scores from Stage 1 to Stage 2

  19. Limitations of Parents Plus Playgroups Evaluation • Small sample size • Length of time parents had been involved with program • Timing of data collection • Difficulty in including families in qualitative and quantitative evaluations before they are fully engaged with service

  20. Implications for practice • Outcome evaluations of programs for parents whose children are in care (not just process) • Publish and disseminate findings • Impact of programs on children • Cost effectiveness of programs versus individual access

  21. Contact Details Mary Salveron Research Assistant / PhD Candidate Australian Centre for Child Protection http://www.unisa.edu.au/childprotection (08) 8302 4163 Dr Fiona Arney Senior Research Fellow Australian Centre for Child Protection (08) 8302 4172

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