NCJ Number
189778
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2001 Pages: 323-330
Date Published
September 2001
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article evaluates parental satisfaction and acceptability of Project SafeCare.
Abstract
Project SafeCare is an intensive parent training program to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect with a focus on three areas of intervention: (1) home safety; (2) infant and child health care; and (3) bonding and stimulation. Project SafeCare served two types of families: a nonabuse at-risk group referred by a local hospital maternity center, and an abuse/neglect group referred by Department of Children and Family Services. Data were collected on 45 families and the training was conducted over 15 weeks. Social validation questionnaires were employed to evaluate the acceptability, the effectiveness, and the outcome of treatments based on parents’ perspectives. The questionnaires were divided into four categories: outcome measures, process and procedures, staff performance, and training modes. Results showed that, overall, Project SafeCare was reported to be very successful and parents reported high satisfaction with all three training programs. They reported that the programs provided them with useful information and skills, and felt more confident about their knowledge and ability with regard to their children’s health and safety. They reported an improvement in their interaction with their children. They also indicated that as a result of the program, they enjoyed spending time with their children more, and that their children seemed to enjoy being with the parents more. Parents rated the procedures, staff, and outcomes very positively. Although parents liked the videos and rated them positively, they seemed to prefer training by counselors to training by video. 4 tables and 10 references.