The effectiveness of parenting programmes: a review of Campbell reviews

Parenting practices predict important outcomes for children, and parenting programmes are potentially effective means of supporting parents to promote optimal parenting for pre-adolescent children. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of parenting programmes by summarising findings of relevant systematic reviews published in the Campbell Library. Six Campbell systematic reviews evaluated the effectiveness of a range of parenting programmes in the primary and secondary prevention of behavioural problems (among children aged 0 – 3 years), early onset conduct disorder (among children aged 3 – 12 years), outcomes for parents and children with ADHD, outcomes for particular groups of parents and children (i.e., with intellectual disabilities and teenagers), and the psychosocial functioning of parents. The findings of these reviews show that parenting programmes can be effective in improving the emotional and behavioural adjustment of children in the first 12 years of life, in addition to enhancing the psychosocial wellbeing of their parents. The findings also suggest that further research is needed to assess effectiveness of programmes for specific subgroups of parents (e.g., fathers, teenagers, parents with intellectual disabilities) and to assess the long-term effectiveness of parenting programmes

Evaluation of Ecology Island Project

Ecology Island is an open-ended nature-based intervention programme which has been running in Dartford, Kent since 2017. It is funded by Kent County Council Suicide Prevention Programme and managed by North-west Kent Countryside Partnership with support from North Kent Mind. The evaluation has demonstrated significant positive impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of respondents facing mental health struggles. Through a comprehensive assessment involving questionnaires and artistic expression, the findings reveal a range of emotional and psychological benefits, including heightened relaxation, cheerfulness, confidence, and a sense of usefulness, among participants. The artistic expression pieces provide unique perspectives, illustrating experience of Ecology Island as a space for reflection, nature connection, and social interaction. The evaluation demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of Ecology Island when compared to traditional clinical interventions. The programme has shown promise in addressing diverse wellbeing needs, offering participants a structured routine, and contributing to the alleviation of social isolation

Wilder wellbeing evaluation

The post-intervention evaluation of the Wilder Wellbeing programme, based on historical data and respondent questionnaire and artistic expression feedback, provides valuable insights into the programme's impact. Several key themes emerged that underscored the positive effects of the programme on respondents' wellbeing. These themes include enhanced nature connection, improved recovery, boosted mental wellbeing, increased enjoyment, and alignment with the Five Ways to Wellbeing. The Wilder Wellbeing programme offers a cost-effective mental health intervention. With a cost of £250 per weekly session for up to 12 participants, it amounts to approximately £20.83 per person per week. When compared to other clinical interventions, Wilder Wellbeing proves to be more affordable. It is notably cheaper than NHS behavioural activation and counselling/psychotherapy, though slightly more expensive than NHS group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. However, one advantage of Wilder Wellbeing is its accessibility and shorter waiting times compared to the NHS, where patients may have to wait up to 18 weeks to access mental health services

Parent training interventions for parents with intellectual disability

Background: Research suggests that the number of intellectually disabled people with children is increasing. Intellectual disabilities do not inevitably cause parenting difficulties, but it may impact on an individual’s capacity to parent a child effectively.Children of parents with intellectual disabilities may be at increased risk of neglectful care, which could lead to health, developmental and behavioural problems, or increased risk of intellectual disability. Compared with other parents, those with intellectual disabilities are more likely to be involved in care proceedings. Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of parent training interventions for parents with intellectual disabilities designed to support parenting, parent child relations, safe parenting or family environments, or to develop parenting skills. Search methods: In July 2017, we searched CENTRAL, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and six other databases as well as two trials registers. We also searched reference lists of included studies and contacted experts in the field to identify additional ongoing and unpublished studies. Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs comparing parent training interventions for parents with intellectual disabilities with treatment as usual or a control group. Data collection and analysis: We used standardised Cochrane methods. Parent training interventions for parents with intellectual disability (Review) 1 Copyright © 2018 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Main results: As of July 2017, we identified four trials with 192 participants that met the review inclusion criteria. Participating parents were mostly mothers (seven fathers were included in two studies), and children’s ages ranged from one month to six years and five months. One study was conducted in Australia, one in Canada, one in the Netherlands, and one in the USA. Each studied a different intervention and considered different outcomes. Three interventions were delivered at home, and one in a community venue (e.g. a church). Interventions varied in duration from seven weeks to 12 months. They included a range of practical childcare skills, home safety and developing parents’ ability to respond sensitively to their children. Parents in the comparison groups included in the review received treatment as usual and most of these received the index intervention after the study was complete. One study was funded by the Ontario Mental Health Foundation and the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services Research Grants Program; one by the Alabama Development Disabilities Council; one by the Best Practice Parenting Education Initiative of the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services and the New South Wales Aging and Disability Department; and one by ZonMw, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development. It was not possible for us to conduct a meta-analysis. The GRADE quality assessment varied from very low to moderate across the studies. Primary outcomes: No study reported on the ’attainment of specific parenting skill targets’. ’Safe home practices’ and ’understanding of child health’: one study (30 parents, very low-quality evidence) reported some improvements in parents’ knowledge of life-threatening emergencies, ability to recognise dangers, and identify precautions, in favour of the intervention group. It also found limited, very low-quality evidence that parent training improved parents’ ability to understand child health, implement precautions, use medicines safely, recognise child illness and symptoms, and seek medical advice (i.e. visit the doctor). Another study (22 mothers, very low-quality evidence) reported improved attainment of skills related to childcare and safety, in favour of the intervention group. Secondary outcomes: ’Parent-child interaction’: one study (40 mothers, very low-quality evidence) reported improved maternal-child interaction following parent training at 12 months follow-up. Another study (83 mothers, 2 fathers, moderate-quality evidence) reported that inclusion in the intervention group led to a steeper decline in parenting stress related to the child compared to the control group. ’Parents’ retention of child’: one study (22 participants; very low-quality evidence) reported that before joining the programme nine of 11 (82%) families with a previous child had had the child removed from their care by child protection authorities due to maternal maltreatment, compared with only four of 22 (19%) families after participating in the programme (only one of these four mothers had also had a previous child removed). No study reported data on: ’return to independent care of child’ or ’lifting of child-related court order’. Authors’ conclusions: There is some very low-quality evidence that some parents, mainly mothers, with intellectual disabilities are able to provide adequate parenting if they are given appropriate training and support to learn the parenting skills they need. However, there are few studies exploring how interventions might work, for whom and in what circumstances. In particular, there have been few studies that include fathers with intellectual disabilities, or that explore the views of parents themselves. There is a need for larger RCTs of parenting interventions,with longer follow-up, before conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of parent training for this group of parents

The effects of training mental health practitioners in medication management to address nonadherence: a systematic review of clinician-related outcomes

Background: Nonadherence with medicine prescribed for mental health is a common problem that results in poor clinical outcomes for service users. Studies that provide medication management-related training for the mental health workforce have demonstrated that improvements in the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of staff can help to address nonadherence. This systematic review aims to establish the effectiveness of these training interventions in terms of clinician-related outcomes. Methods: Five electronic databases were systematically searched: PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar. Studies were included if they were qualitative or quantitative in nature and were primarily designed to provide mental health clinicians with knowledge and interventions in order to improve service users’ experiences of taking psychotropic medications, and therefore potentially address nonadherence issues. Results: A total of five quantitative studies were included in the review. All studies reported improvements in clinicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills immediately following training. The largest effect sizes related to improvements in clinicians’ knowledge and attitudes towards nonadherence. Training interventions of longer duration resulted in the greatest knowledge- and skills-related effect sizes. Conclusion: The findings of this review indicate that training interventions are likely to improve clinician-related outcomes; however, due to the methodological limitations of the current evidence base, future research in this area should aim to conduct robust randomized controlled trials with follow-up and consider collecting qualitative data to explore clinicians’ experiences of using the approaches in clinical practice

Effectiveness of parenting programs: A review of Campbell Reviews

Parenting practices predict important outcomes for children, and parenting programmes are potentially effective means of supporting parents to promote optimal parenting for pre-adolescent children. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of parenting programmes by summarising findings of relevant systematic reviews published in the Campbell Library. Six Campbell systematic reviews evaluated the effectiveness of a range of parenting programmes in the primary and secondary prevention of behavioural problems (among children aged 0 – 3 years), early onset conduct disorder (among children aged 3 – 12 years), outcomes for parents and children with ADHD, outcomes for particular groups of parents and children (i.e., with intellectual disabilities and teenagers), and the psychosocial functioning of parents. The findings of these reviews show that parenting programmes can be effective in improving the emotional and behavioural adjustment of children in the first 12 years of life, in addition to enhancing the psychosocial wellbeing of their parents. The findings also suggest that further research is needed to assess effectiveness of programmes for specific subgroups of parents (e.g., fathers, teenagers, parents with intellectual disabilities) and to assess the long-term effectiveness of parenting programmes

Using social media to widen young people’s participation in social work education: final report for Nominettrust

Using a systematic review approach, this study set out to identify social media resources currently used by service users to share knowledge and experience, in order that they could be used to widen young people’s participation in social work education. Resources found were included in a database available to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to support and promote the use of these sites. The review was undertaken in partnership with young service users. The Review question was: • How do interventions/services using new social and other digital media technologies promote children and young people’s participation? Sub-questions were: • How do such interventions/services conceptualise participation? • What are the perceived facilitators and barriers of participation? • What are the implications for engaging young service users in social work education? A review of published literature provides a foundation to understand how and in what ways social media is currently being used and suggest ways in which it might be used in the future. In addition to academic studies, this project reviews social media, e.g. social networks, blogs, video conferencing, used by users of personal services to share experiences and contribute to knowledge. Social media resources identified are presented in tabular form and are also made accessible though the inclusion of hyperlinks to a range of digital material. Finding of this study suggest that social media is currently being used by adults for two purposes, to promote civic participation or to socialise young people. Consequently the potential biases and shortcomings of face-to-face communication between service providers and service users can be reproduced in online forms of communication. Conclusions drawn include: • Genuine engagement with young people requires digital technologies to provide complementary, more empowering public spaces and channels for expression which may lead to social change. • There is a need to consider ways group membership is constructed and established, both in terms of involvement in social work education in general, and in providing mechanisms that support the use of social media to facilitate this. The report concludes by making recommendations for future actio