Family Partner: study protocol for a pilot randomised study of a home-visitation intervention in Norway

Area of Science:

• Child welfare research
• Intervention science
• Public health

Background:

• Severe child maltreatment affects approximately 5% of Norwegian children annually, necessitating effective interventions.
• Existing research-supported interventions for at-risk families are limited.
• The Family Partner intervention is a novel home-visitation program designed to support these families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot the Family Partner intervention, an intensive home-visitation program.
• To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the Family Partner intervention for families and staff.
• To inform the design of a full-scale randomized controlled trial for child maltreatment prevention.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, parallel, pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted in three Norwegian child welfare services.
• Families with children under 12 years facing parental challenges were recruited.
• Data collection occurred at baseline and 3, 6, 12, and 18 months, with qualitative interviews for acceptability assessment.

Main Results:

• The pilot study successfully monitored retention and adherence, providing crucial data for feasibility assessment.
• Qualitative data from families, family partners, and child welfare services informed intervention acceptability.
• Results will guide the development of a fully powered randomized controlled trial.

Conclusions:

• The Family Partner intervention shows promise as a method to reduce child maltreatment.
• The pilot trial provides essential feasibility and acceptability data for a larger study.
• This research will inform the future implementation of effective child welfare services.