Innovations in Practice: Empowering Parents, Empowering Communities: A pilot evaluation of a peer-led parenting programme
Crispin Day; Daniel Michelson; Stacey Thomson; Caroline Penney; Lucy Draper
Child and Adolescent Mental Health 17(1): 52-57
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 1475-357X DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-3588.2011.00619.xDocument Number: 571844
Background: Efficacious parenting interventions are under-utilised in mainstream services. Empowering Parents, Empowering Communities (EPEC) aims to increase community access to effective parenting support through a peer-led manualised intervention. Method: Training outcomes, clinical effectiveness and acceptability of Epec were evaluated using a pre-post cohort design. Data were collected from trained peer facilitators (n=31) and parenting group participants (n=73). Results: Peer facilitators demonstrated significantly increased knowledge of and confidence in delivering parenting groups. Parents attending groups reported improvements in child behaviour and parenting stress, and high satisfaction. Conclusions: Early evidence suggests that Epec may be an effective and acceptable service model in socially disadvantaged communities.