Personalizing family support by integrating a crisis nursery- Home visitation program for safeguarding children in socially isolated families

Objectives: The evaluation study has two components. Component 1 focuses how families benefit after their infants and children stay at a crisis nursery (CN) in Western Canada. A recent home visitation (HV) component, ... [ view full abstract ]

Objectives: The evaluation study has two components. Component 1 focuses how families benefit after their infants and children stay at a crisis nursery (CN) in Western Canada. A recent home visitation (HV) component, implemented to address family identified needs and priorities, Component 2, extends the support after their stay at the CN. The study aims to:
1. describe the psycho-social challenges of socially isolated parents that request support from the CN;
2. analyze selected changes by parents after their infants and children stay at the CN;
3. analyze psycho-social changes of parents that receive extended support from a personalized HV program.

Method: The program evaluation uses a mixed-method, pre- post- design. The measures include: the Parental Stress Rating Scale; the Parental Coping Inventory; the Positive Affect, Negative Affect Scale; the Herth Hope Index; and the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory and the Family Star Plus.

Results: Analysis of the findings (Component 1) indicates significant reduction of stress, and increased hope as well as improvements in positive feelings. Qualitative analysis demonstrates that parents applied facilitative coping strategies during their children’s stay at the CN acquiring capacity to safely resume care of their child(ren).

The findings (Component 2) focus on factors, adjusted for the frequency and intensity of personalized focus of HV support. Two measurements determine if parents benefit as a consequence of HV support. The other measurement determines if parents benefit as a consequence of HV support.

Conclusions: The study should offer important insights into improving concentrated, personalized family support to socially isolated families at risk for child maltreatment. This should lead to improved interventions.