Preventing child maltreatment through parenting programmes implemented at the local social services level

Abstract

In the area of child maltreatment prevention, there is still a limited use of evidence-based parenting programmes based on the concept of positive parenting and devoted to the strengthening and empowering of at-risk families and children in the context of families–services partnerships. The aim of this paper is to examine how group-based programmes for parents of at-risk families can best be implemented and evaluated at the local social services level, as a sustained psycho-educational resource for the prevention of child maltreatment. To this end, and after reviewing some evidence of the effect of these programmes on family outcomes, we address the conditions under which these programmes might be successfully integrated into the family preservation services delivered at the local level. The implementation and evaluation of some of these programmes in Spain are used to illustrate the strategy of incorporation followed. Finally, we provide preliminary evidence of the impact of one of these programmes on professional development as one of the key factors in facilitating the sustainability of the programmes.