Parent Aide Model Affects Families Positively

National Exchange Club Center Symposium Palm Springs - July 20, 2010

Results of a Federally Funded evaluation of Parent Aide programs were released today. Parent Aides provide in home support to families at risk or involved with child abuse and neglect. The National Exchange Club has been providing Parent Aide services across the United States since 1979 as their national project. In 2003 George Bryan then Executive Director of the Exchange Club SCAN Center in Winston-Salem and currently CEO of The Children's Home and N.C. District Exchange Club Foundation Administrator, was awarded a federal grant on behalf of the National Exchange Club Foundation for the Prevention of Child Abuse to study the effects of Parent Aide intervention on child abuse. Neil Guterman, currently Dean of the Social Work Department of the University of Chicago was engaged as the Principal Investigator for the evaluation.

Six Centers in North Carolina were chosen to participate in the Study. A randomly assigned group of families was investigated. One group received Parent Aide services using a tightly defined and uniformly managed services and the other group received only Case Management services. The evaluation compared the results of the two groups examining changes in four areas- safety of child, better parenting skills, better problem-solving skills, and increased social support -using nine validated instruments administered by two consistent masters level social workers who were "blind" to the random assignment of the families to one of the groups. The attrition of tested parents was negligible and over 73% were present for three periodic tests: pre, at six months, and at twelve months. The two groups had no significant differences in demographics and the dosage of services between Case Managed and Parent Aide was significant.

Families receiving Parent Aide services had reduced parental stress, maternal depression and maternal anxiety. In addition this was corroborated by clear reductions in psychological aggression and physical assault of their children. The families evaluated showed greater mastery of parental skills. These initial results substantiate the findings of large retrospective study of over 800 families served over a period of twenty years which showed positive changes in families. Project Director, George Bryan, reported that "these very positive and well researched results will encourage more Parent Aide services to families throughout the country and prove scientifically the amazing changes that the 75 Exchange Club Child Abuse Prevention Centers around the country have experienced for the last thirty years."

The analysis of data will continue to examine the results of the twelve month testing and the effects of covariates within the evaluation. Further results will be released as they are studied.

Others involved with the evaluation included Catherine Taylor, PhD. University Tulane, Cynthia Napoleon-Hanger M.Ed., CEO and site manager of Exchange SCAN, JiYoung Tabone PhD. and Aaron Banman MSW.

Parent aide services linked with:
*Reduced maternal stress, maternal depression, maternal anxiety
*Increased parental mastery
*Reduced psychological aggression and physical assault toward child

Parent aide services linked with:
*Mild to negligible positive (non-statistically significant) trend on other risk factors (e.g., maternal hostility, male partner drug use)
*Mild positive (non-statistically significant) trend on other protective factors (e.g., father involvement)
*Mild to negligible positive (non-statistically significant) trend on self-reported physical abuse and neglect indicators

Particular Strengths:
*First Randomized Trial of Parent Aide Services
*Evidence of high internal and external validity