Nothing about us without us: Quality assurance for UK scale up of parenting groups: Retention and child well-being data from 500 disadvantaged communities in Wales, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland

OBJECTIVES: This is an evaluation of a national scale-up of a parenting programme in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England. Predictable outcomes in scale-ups are key to funders. Quality Assurance (QA) achieves... [ view full abstract ]

OBJECTIVES: This is an evaluation of a national scale-up of a parenting programme in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England. Predictable outcomes in scale-ups are key to funders. Quality Assurance (QA) achieves predictable outcomes. FAST QA has been tested with a few sites in 21 countries, in 3 statewide scale-ups, and now this is the first, large international scale-up.
METHODS: QA was based at Middlesex University (MU) London to systematically insure FAST was implemented well in 500 disadvantaged UK sites.
a) build trainer capacity, organize them to train teams, support implementation quality with 3 supervisory site visits to insure adequate programme integrity.
b) coordinate national data collection by teams of questionnaires, demographic information, engagement and retention rates, and ethics forms. Questionnaires included Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were completed pre- FAST by teachers and parents and then post-FAST. MU entered and analyzed data, using paired t-tests for quantitative results. Open-ended comments requested from parents, teachers and team members on experiences.
RESULTS: The UK Scale-up with almost 500 primary schools achieved programme integrity on an adequate level. QA was excellent. 500 teams were trained and supervised by certified FAST trainers. High rates of satisfaction were reported by parents, teachers and team members.
Engaged families were very low income (50%); an average family of 4 lived on under £20,000 annually (75%). Average child was aged 5.5. Engagement and retention was high: 19.5 families per school graduated with 79% retention). Outcomes showed statistically significant pre-post improvements in child functioning (SDQ) by teachers and parents, and in parent self-efficacy, parent-child bonds, family conflict, social reciprocity, parent involvement in school, and teacher reported academic performance.
CONCLUSIONS: Policy makers might inquire about QA for scale-up, retention rates with low-income parents and child well-being outcomes. Investing in QA can result in predictable parent empowerment and social capital.