Parent Enrichment Program

The program brings together evidence-based and research-informed best practices to holistically create change in parenting skills and in the family’s overall functioning. Education on positive parenting is complemented by parent coaching which provides 1:1 individualized support to help connect participants with needed resources, support the setting and achievement of goals related to social and economic self-sufficiency and provide additional support and accountability for enhancing family protective factors. Practices that will inform each of the components are outlined below.

Natural Strength Parenting Coaching: This Beech Acres coaching model is a collaborative, client-centered coaching process that helps parents navigate everyday challenges. The coaching process supports parents in reducing and/or preventing toxic stress within their family, as well as helping their children develop critical life skills and coping skills needed for them to thrive. The coaching approach and philosophy is rooted within the Natural Strength Parenting framework, which draws on ideas from social cognitive theory (e.g., goal-setting and monitoring and self-efficacy) and positive psychology (e.g., mindfulness and strengths) to develop a coaching model within which clients are active collaborators in their goal-setting and behavior change process.

Coaching uses the goal planning and setting, ongoing self-monitoring and goal review, benchmarking, and behavior change through development of strengths and skills. Coaching focuses on enhancing parenting skills and ensuring family economic self-sufficiency. The process is culturally sensitive to individuals who are non-majority as well as those who are economically disadvantaged. Coaches and participants collaboratively identify goals based on participants’ self-identified needs, helping participants build and expand on the competencies most relevant and significant for them. As part of coaching, staff support the family overcoming any barriers to obtaining any needed resources, benefits, treatment, or services.

Parent Educational Programming:
• Triple P – Positive Parenting Program: Triple P is one of the most effective evidence-based parenting programs available, backed up by more than 35 years of ongoing research. Triple P gives parents simple and practical strategies to help them build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behavior and prevent problems developing. Moreover, research on Triple P demonstrates significant impact: reducing rates of hospital and ER admissions from child abuse injuries, slowing the rate of substantiated child maltreatment cases, reducing significant mental health problems in children, decreasing parents' levels of depression, stress and other emotional distress, reducing the risk of children developing later problems such as depression, by decreasing family risk factors, and fewer foster care and out-of-home placements for children.
• Natural Strength Parenting: Natural Strength Parenting is Beech Acres research-informed behavior change framework which highlights and celebrates individuals’ and families’ strengths, guides parents to be proactive rather than reactive, and encourages them to be present and fully engaged with each other and their children. Natural Strength Parenting concepts and language are used as an adjunct to Triple P educational modules to allow parents an opportunity to: reflect on their personal values and how to instill those values in their children; enhance parents’ ability to use their strengths, and those of their children, to enhance parent-child relationships; and develop mindfulness practices that decrease stress and enhance emotion regulation.

Parenting education programs are designed to teach and enhance skills and behaviors that enable parents to better understand their child, support their development, and provide a more stable and supportive family environment. Research supports the numerous benefits of such programs, finding that parenting education programs help parents to teach communication and social skills while reducing their stress and improving their sense of competence. Importantly, these positive program outcomes are true for families regardless of whether they are currently dealing with issues of maltreatment or are simply at risk for it.

The Parent Enrichment Program is for families who are at risk for having their children removed from the home or whose children have been removed from the home due to abuse or neglect. The goal of the program is to enhance existing parenting skills, connect participants to needed resources, and support their goals related to social and economic self-sufficiency. Specific program objectives are to improve skills related to positive parenting and financial stability, develop family protective factors that guard against abuse and neglect, and reduce safety threats.

References:
Charlop-Christy, M. H., & Carpenter, M. H. (2000). Modified incidental teaching sessions: A procedure for parents to increase spontaneous speech in their children with autism. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2, 98–112.
Solomon, R., Necheles, J., Ferch, C., & Bruckman, D. (2007). Pilot study of a parent training program for young children with autism: The PLAY Project Home Consultation program. Autism, 11, 205–224.
Koegel, R. L., Bimbela, A., & Schreibman, L. (1996). Collateral effects of parent training on family interactions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26, 347–359.
Cowen, P. S. (2001). Effectiveness of a parent education intervention for at‐risk families. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 6(2), 73-82.

The Parent Enrichment Program was evaluated using pre-test and post-test measures of family protective factors and social/economic self-sufficiency from Hamilton County, Ohio.

The Arizona Self-Sufficiency Matrix was used to assess family economic and social self-sufficiency. Paired t-tests were conducted comparing number of domains in crisis or vulnerable at intake versus follow-up for two groups: all participants for whom pre- and post-test scores were available (Group One), and individuals with one or more domains in crisis or vulnerable status at intake (Group Two). Comparison of the average number of at-risk domains (identified as “In Crisis” or “Vulnerable”) showed statistically significant reductions between intake and follow-up for both groups:

Group One (N = 45): Percent who improved: 62.2%. Mean number of at-risk domains at baseline (2.96) and follow-up (1.80), p<.0001.
Group Two (N = 38): Percent who improved: 73.7%. Mean number of at-risk domains at baseline (3.50) and follow-up (2.00), p<.0001.

Clients showed improvement on the Arizona Self-Sufficiency Matrix, regardless of at-risk status at intake or as a function of average score across domains. For both groups, over half of clients showed improvement from first administration to follow-up.

The Protective Factors Scale was used to assess the family protective factors that reduce negative outcomes for children. Paired t-tests were conducted comparing mean scores at intake and follow-up (N = 106). Results were as follows for the protective factors subscales:
Family functioning: Percent who improved: 49.1%. Mean score at baseline (5.38) and follow-up (5.79), p<.007.
Social Support: Percent who improved: 20.8%. Mean score at baseline (6.27) and follow-up (6.30), p=.83.
Concrete Support: Percent who improved: 22.6%. Mean score at baseline (6.31) and follow-up (6.46), p=.29.
Nurturing and Attachment: Percent who improved: 20.8%. Mean score at baseline (6.62) and follow-up (6.84), p<.0006.

Clients showed statistically significant improvements in family functioning and nurturing and attachment, with approximately one-fifth to one-half of participants showing improvement on each subscale.