Delivering the Parenting for Lifelong Health Programme with Parents of Young Children in Wales
Judy Hutchings1, Sarah Jones2, Anwen Jones1
1School of Psychology, Brigantia Building, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2AS, UK.
Insights
The Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH-YC) program shows promise for improving parenting skills and child behavior in the UK. This feasibility trial indicates good retention and positive outcomes, warranting further evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Public Health Interventions
- Parenting Support Programs
Background:
- The Parenting for Lifelong Health programme for parents of Young Children (PLH-YC) is a low-cost, evidence-based intervention developed for low- and middle-income countries.
- UK early intervention services have faced reductions and increased demand, particularly post-COVID-19.
- A feasibility trial was conducted in Wales to assess PLH-YC's applicability in a UK context.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of recruiting and retaining parents in the PLH-YC program in Wales.
- To assess the program's potential to improve parenting skills and reduce child behavior problems.
- To gather preliminary data on parental and facilitator satisfaction.
Main Methods:
- Two small pre-post feasibility trials were conducted in socially disadvantaged communities in Wales.
- The 12-session PLH-YC program was delivered by local parenting practitioners.
- Data collected included pre- and post-course measures from parents and qualitative interviews.
Main Results:
- High retention rate (85%) and good attendance (mean 8.7 sessions) were observed.
- Parents and facilitators reported high satisfaction, recommending a longer program duration.
- Significant improvements were noted in parent-reported parenting practices, child behavior, and parental mental wellbeing.
Conclusions:
- The PLH-YC program demonstrated feasibility and positive preliminary outcomes in a UK setting.
- These findings support further rigorous evaluation of PLH-YC for UK parenting support.
- The program may offer a valuable addition to existing parenting support services in the UK.
Background/Objectives:
Based on years of work from high-income countries, the Parenting for Lifelong Health programme for parents of Young Children (PLH-YC) was developed by the first and last authors, as a freely available low-cost programme for low-income families in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The initial group-based 12-session programme has since been delivered, adapted, and evaluated across many LMICs and now has a significant body of evidence. Over the last 10 years, early intervention services in the UK have been considerably reduced whilst, exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19, service demands have grown. This paper describes a feasibility trial of the 12-session PLH-YC programme in Wales to explore whether it could recruit and retain parents, and demonstrate improvements in parenting skills and reductions in child behaviour problems.
Methods:
Two small pre-post trials were conducted in socially disadvantaged communities in Wales, and they were delivered by local parenting practitioners. Of the 20 parents recruited across 3 groups, 17 provided pre- and post-course data and 10 completed qualitative interviews.
Results:
Retention was good (85%) with mean attendance of 8.7 sessions, and parental and facilitator feedback reported high levels of satisfaction with the programme, with the only recommendation being to make the programme longer and for facilitators to be given more time. Results showed significant benefits to parent-reported parenting practices, child behaviour, and parental mental wellbeing.
Conclusions:
These preliminary results justify work to develop a rigorous evaluation to establish whether PLH-YC could have a place among parenting-support programmes in the UK.
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