Evaluation of the Enhancing Parenting Skills (EPaS) 2014 programme

Margiad Elen Williams, Judy Hutchings, & Helen Baker-Henningham

Evaluation of an e-version of the Little Parent HandbookMargiad Elen Williams, Judy Hutchings, & Helen Baker-Henningham

The EPaS 2014 ProgrammeA three-day course for health visitors on assessment methods, case analysis, and intervention

strategies with families with young children with behavioural difficultiesHealth visitors work with a family on a one-to-one basis for up to 12 weeks supporting families

in developing strategies to deal with child behaviour problemsParents are interviewed and asked to keep records of their child’s problem behaviours which are

used, with the other data, to develop strategies to manage the behaviours

Hypothesis: the structured behavioural case planning in the EPaS 2014 programme increases the effectiveness of health visitors to support families in effectively managing early onset behaviour problems

Sample & ProceduresSixty health visitors from North and Mid-Wales and Shropshire to

undertake a three-day training in the EPaS 2014 programmeHealth visitors to screen for behaviour problems in children aged 30 – 48

monthsRecruit 120 parents and children (where parents report child within

clinical range on ECBI)Randomised to intervention group or 4-month wait-list control groupResearch home visits at baseline, four-month and eight-month follow-upsMeasures of child behaviour, parenting skills, parental mental health, child

language skills, and observation of parent-child dyad

The Little Parent HandbookA handbook for parents covering core parenting principlesAims to teach a range of strategies to parents to develop their parenting skills

and/or to deal with their children’s challenging behaviour

Hypothesis: families will benefit to access of core behavioural parenting principles delivered in an on-line format

Sample & ProceduresHealth visitors recruit families with child aged 30 – 48 months at-risk of developing significant

behaviour problems (cause for concern but not clinical range)Randomised to weekly chapter of the book, worksheets, and video vignettes Possible development of reminder appsParents to complete online questionnaires at baseline and a 6-month follow-up

For more information, contact Margiad Elen Williams, Centre for Evidence Based Early Intervention, Nantlle Building, Normal Site, Bangor University, Gwynedd, LL57 2PZ; tel: 01248 383627; email:

margiad.williams@bangor.ac.uk