A Framework for Making Evidence-Based Programs More Socially Inclusive

Introduction

Evidence-based family skills training and parenting programs can improve the well-being of children and families significantly. However, their market penetration is poor. When they are adopted, services often struggle with recruitment and retention, particularly with so-called ‘hard to reach’ families. Such programs often jar with cultural norms in new settings and are rarely sustained beyond initial funding. More needs to be done to ensure that such programs reach the largest possible proportion of their target group. They need to be more socially inclusive.

Method

The paper is based on three sources: a seminar involving representatives from several groups serving and representing families in the UK; a review of the literature; and a survey targeted at the developers/purveyors of a 23 family skills training and parenting programs appearing on a list endorsed by the UN. The focus of all three was identifying means for making evidence-based family skills training and parenting programs more socially inclusive.

Results

The paper identifies four strategies. First is maximising the recruitment of low-income, black and minority ethnic families who are traditionally considered to be ‘hard to reach’, and reducing the drop-out of disadvantaged and socially excluded families.

Second is empowering local people by co-producing programs with service user parents and local health, education and social care professionals so that the programs become culturally congruent.

Third is building social capital in local communities by modelling mutually respectful relationships with parents and professionals during the process of selecting programs and then supporting program delivery structures that build relationships that span home life, school and the wider community.

Fourth is planning for sustainability by developing local parents’ and practitioners’ capacity to learn about, plan, adapt, implement and monitor programs and by working to make programs ‘system ready’ and systems ‘program ready’.

Implications

If evidence-based family skills training and parenting programs are to maximize their impact significant work is needed to make them socially inclusive.