evaluation of caring dads safer children
TRANSCRIPT
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Evaluation of Caring Dads Safer Children: Outcomes from a Group Work Programme for Domestically Abusive Fathers
Nicola McConnell, Matt Barnard, Tracey Holdsworth, Julie Taylor
BASPCAN 9th CONGRESSUniversity of Edinburgh, Scotland, UKSunday 12th – Wednesday 15th April 2015
NSPCC
The Caring Dads programme
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Caring Dads is devoted to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children through working with fathers who have abused and neglected their children or exposed them to abuse of their mothers.
• Originates from Canada (Katreena Scott and Tim Kelly)• Group work programme• Fathers attend for 17 weeks
• Weekly 2 hour sessions
• Two group facilitators• Partners and children contact• Co-ordinated case management
Interventions with fathers who perpetrate domestic abuse– hold fathers accountable for their children’s wellbeing– places the responsibility for the fathers abusive behaviour with him– contribute to ending violence against women and child abuse– enable the monitoring and assessment of risks posed by the father– promote positive change in men and in the father-child relationship.
Previous evaluation of Caring Dads – Promising findings about effectiveness– Involve relatively small samples within the UK– Few studies examine whether outcomes for children improve
CDSC is the result of a partnership between the NSPCC, the Canadian originators and the London Probation Service (RISE).
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Background and rationale for CDSC
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Since October 2010:5 NSPCC service centres
50+ groups delivered
300+ fathers started CDSC
190+ completed programme
500+ evaluation participants
Mixed method evaluation :– standardised measures before and after intervention– face to face surveys and qualitative interviews – analysis of case records
Three time points for data collection:T1 - Before entry to the programme T2 - End of programme T3 - Follow up 6 to 12 months after end of programme
Ethics: Research Ethics Committee, guidance, training, and ethics review
Limitations: Small comparison and child samples, fathers’ self reports.
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Overview of CDSC evaluation
Theory of change
Adapted from Abidin 1995
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Awareness of child centred
fathering
Awareness and
responsibility for abusive
and neglectful fathering
Father’s parenting stress reduces
Fathers successfully completing the CDSC
programme
Children and partners report improvements in the father’s behaviour and
their own wellbeing
Relationships within the
child’s family improve
Father’s behaviour towards children
and partners improves
Participant Evaluation measures or toolsFathers Parenting Stress Index
Controlling Behaviour Inventory (behaviour towards partner) Acceptance and Rejection Questionnaire (behaviour towards child)Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (his views about child)
Children Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Adolescent Wellbeing ScaleAcceptance and Rejection QuestionnaireQualitative interviews and surveys
Partners & Mothers
Adult Wellbeing Scale, Controlling Behaviour Inventory for partners Strengths and difficulties questionnaire (younger children)Qualitative interviews and surveys
Staff Interviews with practitioners, administrators and managers
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Evaluation measures
Fathers reported statistically significant improvements in:– his stress experienced as a parent– his perceptions of his child’s strengths and behavioural difficulties– his behaviour towards his child or children
Children reported improvements in his behaviour toward them.
Partners and fathers reported statistically significant improvements in:– his behaviour towards her
Partners reported statistically significant improvements in– her depression, anxiety and inward directed irritability
Child wellbeing results suggest improvement but not statistically significant
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Quantitative findings
9Source: CDSC teams October 2010 – October 2014
Fathers’ parenting stressAverage scores for Parenting Stress Index, comparing pre- and post-programme scores
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
T1T2
**p<0.01
Fathers’ parenting stress
10Source: CDSC teams October 2010 – October 2014
Number of fathers moving between the normal and clinical ranges of the Parenting Stress Index when comparing pre- and post-programme scores
Remained within clinical range, n=6
Recovered, moving from clinical to normal range n=21
Deteriorated, moving from normal to clinical range, n=6
Remained within normal range, n=125
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Comparison group
11Source: CDSC teams October 2010- February 2015
Change in mean scores for parenting stress index, comparing fathers who completed programme with fathers who were waiting to start.
Parental distress
Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction
Difficult child
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2
-1.34
1
-3.46
-2.85
-2.23
Intervention N=26 Waiting for intervention N=15
Sustaining change: follow up results
12Source: CDSC teams October 2010 – February 2015
Fathers PSI subscale scores at each time point, N=52
T1 T2 T30
5
10
15
20
25
30
Parental distressParent-Child Dysfunctional InteractionDifficult Child
Mea
n PS
I sub
scal
e sc
ore
Controlling behaviour towards partner
13Source: CDSC teams October 2010 – October 2014
Average number of incidents reported by partners via the Controlling Behaviour Inventory, comparing pre- and post-programme scores
**p=<0.01
Emotional ab
use**
Intimidation**
Economic a
buse
Isolati
on**
Threat/co
ercion**
Violence**
Sexu
al ab
use
Injury**
Using c
hildren**
Denial / m
inimisa
tion**0
0.20.40.60.8
11.21.4
Pre-programmePost-programme
Mothers’ wellbeing
14Source: CDSC teams October 2010 – October 2014
Average scores for responses to Adult Wellbeing Questionnaire, comparing pre- and post-programme scores
*p=<0.05
Depression* Anxiety* Outward directed irritability
Invward directed irritability*
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
Pre-programme Post-programme
Qualitative themes: Families
Differing experiences, views and needs
Children’s understanding, sense of guilt
Observed changes
Partial changes
Change to service involvement
Partners appreciated involvement
Qualitative themes: Practitioners
Described evidence of change
Facilitators and barriers to change
Importance of partner engagement
Relationships with referrers
Service centre differences
Areas for improvement
Recent publications:
McConnell N, Barnard M, Holdsworth T and Taylor J. (2014) Caring dads: safer children: interim evaluation report. London: NSPCC http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/findings/evaluation/caring-dads-pdf_wdf101264.pdf
McConnell N. and Taylor J. (2014), Evaluating Programmes for Violent Fathers: Challenges and Ethical Review, Child Abuse Rev., doi: 10.1002/car.2342
Children and Young People Now (2014) Improving the behaviour of dads makes families feel safer. Children and young people now, 4-17 March, pp 34-5
Final report will be available during 2015.17
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Further information:
Di JerwoodDevelopment Manager for Looked After Children and High Risk [email protected]
Nicola McConnellSenior Evaluation OfficerNSPCC Evaluation DepartmentNSPCC, Weston House, 42 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NH020 3772 [email protected]