Raising Safe Kids Program
Where the program was applied
Country of application
Description

This is a universal outreach program for parents and caregivers of all backgrounds to strengthen family bonds, improve or change parenting skills and practices, and prevent violence against children. It is also designed to be flexible, so that a variety of institutions and community organizations can implement it or integrate it into existing services.
The intervention is organized in eight interactive group sessions, each lasting two hours, to teach caregivers how to model social and problem-solving skills for children’s non-violent development. It includes socio-cognitive interventions, such as didactic instructions, modeling, and dramatization.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation showed that, after the three-month follow-up period, parents who participated in the program reported a statistically significant decrease in harsh disciplinary strategies and higher expectations regarding their children’s appropriate development (e.g., they expected their children to be able to feed themselves). In addition, the study indicated an increase in parental stress among parents who participated in the program compared to those in the control group. No significant effects on children’s education were observed [1].
The study had an experimental design with a sample size of 271 parents, of whom 162 were assigned to participate in the intervention and 109 were assigned to the comparison group, which participated in traditional community services only. Participants were recruited from social service agencies in Chicago [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Portwood, S. G., Lambert, R. G., Abrams, L. P. & Nelson, E. B. (2011). An evaluation of the Adults and Children Together (ACT) Against Violence Parents Raising Safe Kids program. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 32(3-4), 147–160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-011-0249-5