Citation

Falconer MK, Haskett ME, McDaniels L, Dirkes T, Siegel EC. Soc. Work With Groups 2008; 31(2): 165-182.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/01609510801960890

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Parent support groups have grown in popularity as a strategy for preventing child maltreatment, but there have been few evaluations of these groups. The purpose of this paper is twofold. One goal is to identify some of the major challenges in the evaluation of parent support groups and to provide strategies for minimizing these potential difficulties. The second goal is to illustrate successful evaluations of parent support groups (i.e., the Circle of Parents® program) in four states. Three of these states used a retrospective pretest method. Outcomes indicated positive performance across all domains of functioning, as measured by a self-report questionnaire. Strengths and limitations of the evaluations are discussed, and recommendations for future evaluations are provided.