The SafeCare programme in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

works with parents of children under age six who are at risk of experiencing significant harm through neglect. SafeCare is delivered in the home by trained practitioners. The programme encompasses 18 to 20 sessions that focus on: * parent-infant/child interaction *

home safety Home safety is the awareness of risks and potential dangers in and around a home that may cause bodily harm, injury, or even death to those living there. Most common risks Mold Molds are microscopic organisms that thrive in damp environments. T ...

child health Pediatric nursing is part of the nursing profession, specifically revolving around the care of neonates and children up to adolescence. The word, ''pediatrics'', comes from the Greek words 'paedia' (child) and 'iatrike' (physician). 'Paediatrics' ...

Churchill, G. (2015) Safecare: Evidence from a Home Based Parenting Programme for Neglect, London, NSPCC. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/safecare-evidence-evaluation-report.pdf

Theory of change

The SafeCare theory of change is based on

social learning theory Social learning is a theory of learning process social behavior which proposes that new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others. It states that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context and can occu ...

. Social Learning Theory suggests people learn by observing positive desired outcomes resulting from the observed behaviour.

Attrition

''Attrition'' occurs when a parent who takes up a programme fails to complete it. In one study of the SafeCare programme, 73% of parents who signed up to the programme were unable to complete it in full. Nevertheless, practitioners identified a range of positive outcomes for families who exited the programme prior to completion.

Evidence for effectiveness

Evidence for the effectiveness of intervention programs can be divided into two types. * impact studies where the aim of the evaluation is to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in outcomes on a population, which can be attributed to the intervention. * qualitative studies which aim to illuminate the mechanisms through which program participants can access the resources and help offered in the program to achieve better outcomes.

Impact studies

In 2012 a cluster trial experiment demonstrates significant maltreatment

recidivism Recidivism (; from ''recidive'' and ''ism'', from Latin ''recidīvus'' "recurring", from ''re-'' "back" and ''cadō'' "I fall") is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of th ...

reduction due to implementing SafeCare in a fully scaled-up statewide system. SafeCare has been provided to families when a professional has judged there is a risk of experiencing significant harm through neglect. Outcome data shows that on average families who participated in the evaluation of the programme improved

parenting skills Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively for a biol ...

and reduced neglectful behaviours. Furthermore, all referrers reported see positive changes in the families they referred, particularly in home safety, parent child interaction and health. However, in the absence of a comparison group it was not possible to attribute the changes to SafeCare.

Understanding the mechanisms through which neglect can be stopped

Research on the ways in which parents engage with SafeCare show that the home visitors' tactics for engagement and home visitors' modelling key behaviours are key to influencing individual outcomes.

Engagement

Parents experiences of SafeCare are often influenced by the nature of the relationship they develop with the practitioner who delivers the programme. It helps when practitioners * work in the family's home * are punctual * let parents know in advance if they need to cancel * listen to parents' concerns * make a genuine effort to get to know family membersChurchill, G. (2015) SafeCare: Parents' Perspectives on a Home Based Parenting Programme for Neglect, London, NSPCC. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/safecare-parents-perspectives-report.pdf

Modelling behaviour

In certain cases parents have worked with the SafeCare home visitor to improve their parenting in the way described by

Social Learning Theory Social learning is a theory of learning process social behavior which proposes that new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others. It states that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context and can occu ...

. Social Learning Theory suggests people learn by observing positive desired outcomes resulting from the observed behaviour. Parents reported adopting and doing new games and activities, as a result of having the games and activities by a practitioner. This can lead to children interacting differently with their parents, by joining in with housework. It can lead to parents finding out about their children's interests, which prompts them to do new activities with their child like going to the

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

. Where parents have had

disciplinary Discipline refers to rule following behavior, to regulate, order, control and authority. It may also refer to punishment. Discipline is used to create habits, routines, and automatic mechanisms such as blind obedience. It may be inflicted on ot ...

techniques successfully modelled, it can lead to parents feeling more confident about taking their children out of the house, and giving them new opportunities like playing in parks. Improved behaviour sometimes can result in better behaviour at school.

References

{{reflist Child abuse-related organizations Social care in the United Kingdom