Interventions to Support the Parenting Skills of Families

Principal Investigator:  Patricia Kohl, PhD
Funder:  Research Network Development Core as part of the Center for Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR)
Timeframe:  11/06 - 08/07
Affiliation:  Center for Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR)

Project Staff:   Patricia Kohl, PhD, PI
                        Jennifer Bellamy, PhD, Investigator
                        Jennifer Schurer, MSW and NIMH pre-doctoral trainee
                        Samantha Books, MPE, Field Coordinator
                        Melanie Messer, B.A.

Participating Organizations:  St. Louis City Children’s Division and St. Louis County Children’s Division

Project Contact:   Jennifer Schurer, MSW, Project Coordinator
                              Phone: 314-935-7086,  Email:  jschurer@wustl.edu

 Project Update as of 12/17/2007:

Description: Rates of recurrent maltreatment among the child welfare population is high, highlighting the fact that interventions as they are currently provided are not reducing the risk of maltreatment for some families.  The implementation of evidence-based parenting interventions may help address this problem. 

The overarching aims of this research project are to identify parenting services providers in the St. Louis area, describe organizational context in which services are provided, and illuminate details about the specific services they provide.  Findings from this project will also be used to identify potential agency partners to implement evidence-based parenting interventions.  This is a first step in a larger research agenda that seeks to improve the availability of evidence-based practices to child welfare involved families. 

The specific project aims are to

  1. Develop a directory or parenting service providers who serve biological, step, adoptive, or foster parents in the St. Louis area,
  2. Assess the organizational context and structure of the agencies that provide these services,
  3. Determine which, if any, agencies are providing evidence based parenting interventions and assess the agencies’ knowledge about evidence based practices,
  4. Assess administrators’ (e.g., directors, and/or project managers) and clinicians’ attitudes toward evidence based practices,
  5. Inform the later development and implementation of parenting interventions.