Strengthening Families Program: Evaluation of Implementation Quality and Social Validity

The enhancement of positive parenting practices, family cohesion and family values has been shown to be one of the ways to prevent drug abuse among young people. The Strengthening Families Program (SFP), based on this principle, was adopted in 2013 by the Brazilian Health Ministry in order to prevent the use of alcohol and drugs by children and adolescents from 10 to 14 years old who live in vulnerable circumstances. This study aimed to evaluate the social validity of the program and to examine the major barriers to pre-implementation and implementation of SFP in Natal city, northeastern Brazil. The study was conducted in 2015 with 11 group leaders and four professionals responsible for community mobilization (the so-called multipliers). All of them participated in focus group sessions and the group leaders responded to a questionnaire on program implementation quality and social validity. The group leaders reported that the program meets the needs of children, adolescents, and their parents and can be recommended to other families in the community. According to these leaders, SFP helps families to strengthen ties, resolve conflicts without violence and set boundaries. Moreover, it helps parents to express love and encourage their children’s dreams. The group leaders also reported that SFP helps children and adolescents to express their feelings, value their parents and protect themselves from harmful influences; they also believe that the program lessons are being used in the families’ daily lives. The reports of the group leaders identified the SFP benefits for professionals as improving their skills to support the work of strengthening family ties and improving their understanding of drug abuse prevention factors. The main barriers to effective implementation reported by the multipliers were the inadequacy of program content, the lack of adequate physical space and audiovisual equipment, lack of transportation to the meetings for families, the absence of incentives to participate (such as gifts) and the need to have day-care professionals to watch over the children during the program sessions. The study reveals that professionals perceive the importance of SFP, its relevance and social validity, however the program still faces implementation barriers.