NCJ Number
186395
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 15 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2000 Pages: 311-330
Editor(s)
Vincent B. Van Hasselt,
Michel Hersen
Date Published
2000
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Because parents at risk or reported for child abuse or neglect may demonstrate deficits in infant and child health care skills, placing their children at greater risk for health problems, research assistants, case workers and a nurse provided health care skills training to parents at risk or reported for child abuse or neglect in Los Angeles.
Abstract
The study was conducted in the context of Project SafeCare, a research project aimed at a systematic replication of Project 12-Ways that sought to provide parent training and newly validated health and safety training in a succinct manner in an urban, multicultural environment. The seven parent participants in the study were referred to Project SafeCare to address needs related to infant and child health care, home safety and cleanliness, and parent-child interactions. In working with the parents, a health reference guide and other training materials were validated by health care professionals. Training involved teaching parents to follow a series of steps to identify symptoms; use reference and record-keeping materials; determine the best form of treatment; and either treat the illness at home, consult a physician, or seek emergency treatment. Parent skill acquisition was assessed through observations of parent behavior in simulated health care scenarios. A series of multiple baselines across parents demonstrated the effectiveness of the training in the context of the scenarios. Six of seven parents met the 100 percent mastery criterion. All parents provided positive ratings of the content of the training program, the training strategies, and the counselors who provided training. 19 references, 5 tables, and 3 figures