Incredible Years Wales:
The Welsh Centre for Promoting
the Incredible Years Programmes
Title:
“Researching the Incredible Years programme in Oxford: findings from
a
controlled trial with the Family Nurturing Network”.
Presented
by: Frances Gardner, University of Oxford.
Authors:
Gardner,
F. & Burton, B.
Funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.
Abstract:
This paper
reports on the implementation and evaluation of the Incredible Years parenting
programme within the voluntary sector in Oxfordshire. The service was developed
and run by the Family Nurturing Network (FNN), a small Oxford based charity
carrying out parenting interventions for troubled children and families. The
programme aimed to help families of children with identified conduct problems,
between the ages of 3 and 9.
The organisation
has a strong commitment to evidence based practice, and adopted the Webster-Stratton
'Incredible Years' programme because of its demonstrated effectiveness for
helping children with antisocial behaviour. However, the FNN wanted to know
if this intervention would be effective in the UK voluntary sector, delivered
in local community settings, using well-trained but non-specialised staff.
Thus they asked the university of Oxford to carry out an independent randomised
controlled trial of the effectiveness of their intervention for reducing conduct
problems and improving parenting.
76 families
referred to FNN were randomly allocated to join a parenting group, or 6-month
waiting list. There were high levels of family disadvantage and child behaviour
problems. Assessments of child behaviour and parenting were carried out at
home 0, 6, 18 months post-recruitment, using parent self-report and direct
observations of parent-child interaction.
Results
showed significant improvements in child behaviour problems and parenting
skills in the intervention families, as well as parental confidence, compared
to waiting list families. I t is noteworthy that these changes were found
using both parent self-report measures and independent observations in the
home. Parents reported high levels of satisfaction with the intervention.
Importantly, these improvements maintained at 18 month follow up.
The results
suggest that it is possible within the voluntary sector to provide accessible,
very high quality practice, backed up by evidence from controlled trials,
which meets the needs of parents facing severe behaviour problems with children.
This study is an important addition to the growing body of evidence about
what works for which families, in particular for reducing the potential for
antisocial behaviour, without stigmatising children. The study also raises
issues about training and dissemination of accessible, effective interventions
for vulnerable families; and about the need for rigorous evaluation within
the growing voluntary sector.
Dr Frances
Gardner, Course Director in Evidence-Based Social Work, University of Oxford,
Department of Social Policy & Social Work, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1
2ER, UK
Tel.
01865-270334 / 270325 e-mail: frances.gardner@socres.ox.ac.uk