Evaluation of the Statewide Implementation of a Parent Education Program in Louisiana’s Child Welfare Agency: The Nurturing Parenting Program for Infants, Toddlers, and Pre-School Children Final Evaluation Report Prepared by Rhenda H. Hodnett Karen Faulk Amy Dellinger Erin Maher August 2009 Table of Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Literature Review ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 The Nurturing Parenting Program ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Parenting Education in Louisiana.......................................................................................................................................... 15 Selection of Program ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Implementation of the Nurturing Parenting Program ............................................................................................. 16 Method ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Overview of Research Design .................................................................................................................................................. 21 Sample ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Data Sources ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 TIPS Administrative Data ............................................................................................................................................................ 22 NPP Attendance Records ........................................................................................................................................................... 22 AAPI-2 Data ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Variables and Measures ............................................................................................................................................................... 23 Analysis ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 27 Descriptive Statistics ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 Bivariate Analyses ............................................................................................................................................................................ 27 Multivariate Models ......................................................................................................................................................................... 27 Results .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Descriptive statistics ...................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Bivariate Comparisons .................................................................................................................................................................. 29 Regression Models for Study Outcomes ......................................................................................................................... 30 Changes in AAPI-2 scores: Summary of results ......................................................................................................... 32 Post-Intervention Maltreatment Logistic Regression ............................................................................................. 33 Discussion ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 37 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Recommendations and lessons learned .......................................................................................................................... 41 3 Tables ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 44 Table 1: Parental Characteristics and Child and Parent Participation Variables for Participants and Analytic Subsamples ............................................................................................... 44 Table 2. AAPI-2 Subscale Descriptive Statistics and Paired T-Test Results ............................................................... 45 Table 3. Chi Square Analysis of AAPI-2 Subscale Risk CategoriesPre- and Post-Intervention (N= 295) .......................................................................................................................................................... 46 Table 4. Regression Analysis Results for AAPI-2 Subscales (n=262) .............................................................................. 47 Table 5. Logistic Regression Results for Post-Intervention Maltreatment Incidence ......................................... 49 Appendix .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 51 A: Data Sources .................................................................................................................................................................................. 51 TIPS Administrative Data ............................................................................................................................................................ 51 NPP Attendance Records ........................................................................................................................................................... 52 Data Cleaning ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 52 AAPI-2 Data ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 53 Appendix B: Variables and Measures .............................................................................................................................. 54 Dependent Variable—Change in Parenting Attitudes ............................................................................................. 54 Dependent Variable—Change in Parenting Behavior .............................................................................................. 55 Independent Variables ................................................................................................................................................................. 55 Independent Variables—Parent Characteristics ......................................................................................................... 55 Independent Variables—Parent Participation ............................................................................................................... 57 Provider .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 58 References ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 61 Mental Health Practices in Child Welfare Guidelines Toolkit 4 Introduction Every year, nearly one million children are victims of abuse or neglect in the United States. Child abuse and neglect is a complex, multi-faceted problem, occurring in every corner of the nation and affecting every member of society, either directly or indirectly. It is estimated that costs associated with child abuse and neglect exceed $108 billion annually (Wang & Holton, 2007). In addition to the financial costs, the human toll of abuse and neglect is incalculable. Children who suffer abuse and neglect are at higher risk for a multitude of other problems including