An evaluation of the Solihull Approach Parenting Group within a local authority setting

• Main Author: Hartley, Nicola
• Published: University of Nottingham 2013
• Subjects: 362.8253
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.606410

The Solihull Approach supports practitioners working with children and their families in supporting parents, both individually and in groups, to provide sensitive and attuned parenting (Douglas and Rheeston, 2009). The Solihull Approach Parenting Group (SAPG) is a universal approach designed for parents with children from birth to 18 years with universal to complex issues and it aims to improve parent-child relationships and behaviour management through a reflective style of parenting (John son and Wilson, 2012). In an attempt to discover 'what works?' in parenting support, the present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the SAPG using a quasi-experimental approach. A pre-test post-test equivalent group design had been proposed but recruitment and retention issues with the intended control group meant a pre-test post-test single group design was employed. The three outcomes considered were - parental mental health, as measured by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21); parenting self-efficacy levels, as measured by the Tool to measure Parenting Self-Efficacy (TOPSE); and perceptions of child behaviour, as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). A small sample size and lack of control group means that the results should be interpreted with caution. Total scores within each of the measures did not change significantly but statistical significance was found for two scales within the TOPSE and one scale within the DASS-2 1. Parents' scores increased on the Self-acceptance and Control scales on the TOPSE and decreased on the Stress scale of the DASS-21. These initial findings build on previous research but also indicate that further research is needed into the effectiveness of the SAPG. A number of suggestions are made for future research possibilities which consider both potential areas of study and suitable methodological approaches.