Which parenting interventions work best?

The challenge

To determine which parenting interventions have the best evidence for improving outcomes in young children who have experienced or are at risk of abuse or neglect.

Who we worked with

The New Zealand Government Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (formerly the Families Commission). The Commission sought our help to conduct a rigorous review of the international scientific literature to inform policies and practice around young children at risk of abuse or neglect.

What we did

Our review, which focused on the evidence for interventions with children under six, found that effective parenting interventions had several things in common. These included using structured or planned sessions, assessing both children and families and developing tailored plans. They also included offering information and strategies on child behaviour, parent-child interactions, emotional regulation, child health, development and safety, and family wellbeing.

The result

NZ Government incorporated the review findings into a major report on approaches to parenting interventions for vulnerable families.

The future

We have built on this work more recently in NSW, where we are working with the Department of Family and Community Services to deliver targeted earlier interventions to better assist vulnerable families before they enter the child protection system.

Learn more

• Read the Evidence review: An analysis of the evidence for parenting interventions for parents of vulnerable children
• Read the NZ Government’s major report on the issue
• View more of our rapid evidence reviews
• Read about our work with NSW Family and Community Services on Targeted Earlier Intervention