Parent perspectives of engagement in the strengthening families program: An evidence‐based intervention for families in child welfare and affected by parental substance use

Abstract

AbstractDespite growing use of evidence‐based parenting interventions (EBPIs) in child welfare settings, few qualitative studies have obtained parents' direct views and feedback on these programs. Further, engagement in EBPIs continues to present challenges in a child welfare context, particularly for parents affected by substances. We sought to understand parents' experiences of the supports and barriers to engagement in an EBPI. Semistructured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 parents who were involved in child welfare and a family drug treatment court, affected by parental substance use, and had recently completed the Strengthening Families Program. Our results indicated that barriers and supports comprised individual, provider, and programmatic factors. A prevalent theme was providers' abilities to build supportive helping relationships and facilitate a dynamic group effectively. Also significant were pragmatic program features that directly assisted families' access and ongoing participation, such as transportation and scheduling.