BERGEN COUNTY (NJ) - PARENT PROJECT - EXEMPLARY PROJECT VALIDATION REPORT

• NCJ Number: 51030
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 163 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Abt Associates, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: EXEMPLARY PROJECT - VALIDATION REPORT

Annotation

A PROJECT DESIGNED TO CHANGE THE BEHAVIOR OF PARENTS IN INTERACTION WITH THEIR DEVIANT CHILDREN AND THUS CHANGE DELINQUENT PATTERNS IS DESCRIBED, AND EVALUATION MEASURES AND OUTCOMES ARE REPORTED.

Abstract

THE PARENT PROJECT FOR PARENTS OF YOUTH PERCEIVED AS DEVIANT CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF SIXTEEN 3-HOUR SESSIONS ADDRESSING VARIOUS TASKS OF PARENTING. THE PROJECT WAS INITIATED IN 1976 BY THE BERGEN COUNTY PROBATION DEPARTMENT AND IS SUPPORTED BY AN ANNUAL GRANT OF $44,000 FROM THE NEW JERSEY STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT PLANNING AGENCY. TARGETED PRIMARILY AT THE PARENTS OF YOUTH ON PROBATION, THE PROGRAM IS ALSO OPEN TO PARENTS WHO FEEL THE NEED FOR GUIDANCE IN DEALING WITH THEIR CHILDREN. TWICE EACH YEAR, APPROXIMATELY 35 VOLUNTEERS ORGANIZE AND LEAD FOUR PARENT WORKSHOPS SIMULTANEOUSLY AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN THE COUNTY. THE AVERAGE ATTENDANCE PER WORKSHOP IS 35 PARENTS. THE ONLY FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL STAFF MEMBER IS THE PROJECT DIRECTOR. FUNDS ALSO PROVIDE FOR THE SERVICES OF A CONSULTING PSYCHOLOGIST. THE SESSIONS INVOLVE LECTURES, SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS, AND BEHAVIORAL GOAL SETTING TO HELP PARENTS TOWARD ATTITUDINAL AND BEHAVIORAL CHANGE DESIGNED TO CHANGE TARGETED DEVIANT BEHAVIOR IN THEIR CHILDREN. THE VALIDATION PROCEDURE, INITIATED IN THE SPRING OF 1978, SOUGHT TO GATHER EVIDENCE THAT THE PARENTS' ATTITUDES, BEHAVIORS, AND RELATIONS WITH THEIR CHILDREN HAD CHANGED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROJECT GOALS. NOTING THE DIFFICULTY OF OBTAINING OBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT OF SUCH GOALS, A SELF-REPORTING PROCEDURE FOR PARENTS WAS DEVELOPED. THE PROCEDURE INDICATED THAT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PARENTS PERCEIVED POSITIVE CHANGE IN THEMSELVES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR CHILDREN. PROBATIONERS WHOSE PARENTS WERE IN THE PROGRAM WERE COMPARED TO A COMPARABLE GROUP OF PROBATIONERS WHOSE PARENTS WERE NOT INVOLVED. WHILE THE NUMBER OF INCRIMINATING CONTACTS WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM WAS LOWER FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, THIS LOWER RATE WAS NOT CONSIDERED SIGNIFICANT SINCE THE CONTACTS WERE LOW FOR BOTH GROUPS. THE COMPARISON WAS MADE 4 MONTHS AFTER THE PARENT WORKSHOP. SAMPLE MATERIALS USED IN THE PROJECT ARE PROVIDED, AS IS THE EXEMPLARY PROJECT RECOMMENDATION. (RCB)