Strengthening Families Program – Birth to Three
The Strengthening Families Program – Birth to Three (SFP B-3) is a parent and family skills training program designed to serve families with children birth through age three. The program is designed to serve the general population and at-risk families, including families experiencing parental substance use issues and child behavioral problems. SFP B-3 aims to help parents increase their children’s protective factors, such as coping skills, and reduce their children’s risk factors, such as behavioral problems.
SFP B-3 consists of multi-family group sessions. Before each session, families and trained group leaders have a sit-down meal together where group leaders provide support, guidance, and praise and get to know families on a more personal level. During the first half of each session, group leaders teach parents about child development and skills to promote positive child behavior. Skills taught include how to use rewards, set limits, communicate, and problem solve. Childcare is provided separately.
During the second half of each session, trained group leaders facilitate family playgroups. Playgroups are loosely structured and include activities such as singing songs, arts and crafts, and playing with other children and parents. Playgroups provide an opportunity for parents to practice the skills they learned during the first half of the session and receive support and guidance from group leaders. Additionally, parents are asked to practice these skills with their children in between group sessions, if possible.
SFP B-3 does not currently meet criteria to receive a rating because no studies of the program that achieved a rating of moderate or high on design and execution demonstrated a favorable effect on a target outcome.
Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed: Mar 2022
Sources
The program or service description, target population, and program or service delivery and implementation information were informed by the following sources: the program or service manuals, the program or service developer’s website, and the California Evidence Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare.
This information does not necessarily represent the views of the program or service developers. For more information on how this program or service was reviewed, visit the Review Process page or download the Handbook.
Target Population
SFP B-3 is designed to serve the general population and at-risk families with children birth to age three, including, but not limited to, families experiencing parental substance use issues and child behavioral problems.
Dosage
SFP B-3 is delivered over 14 weekly multi-family group sessions of at least four families and no more than 14 families. The recommended group size is 6–12 families depending on site and implementation-specific factors. Each session lasts approximately 2 hours. Trained group leaders may offer optional booster sessions to families or facilitate ongoing family support groups once families have completed the 14-week program.
Location/Delivery Setting
Recommended Locations/Delivery Settings
SFP B-3 can be delivered in a range of settings, including schools, churches, community centers, and community-based organizations.
Education, Certifications and Training
During each session, two trained group leaders facilitate the parent skills training group, and at least two group leaders provide childcare. Group facilitation skills and experience working with or parenting children is recommended. It is also helpful for group leaders to have knowledge of behavioral psychology or token economies.
Group leaders are encouraged to complete a 2-day training prior to delivering SFP B-3. Trainings are authorized and facilitated by Master SFP Trainers. After training, it is recommended that SFP Purveyors conduct site visits to evaluate new group leaders’ fidelity to the program model. SFP Purveyors also provide implementation supports including technical assistance, program evaluation, fidelity monitoring, site visits, and quality assurance.
Program or Service Documentation
Book/Manual/Available documentation used for review
The Implementation Manual is implemented in conjunction with the Parent Skills Training Group Leader’s Manual.
Kumpfer, K. L. (2017). The Strengthening Families Program: Implementation manual. Alta Institute.
Kumpfer, K. L., & Taliaferro, W. (2017). The Strengthening Families Program Birth-3: Parent's skills training, group leader’s manual. Alta Institute.
Available languages
SFP B-3 manuals are available in English.
Other supporting materials
About the Strengthening Families Program
For More Information
Website: www.strengtheningfamiliesprogram.org
Email: strengtheningfamiliestraining@gmail.com
Note: The details on Dosage; Location; Education, Certifications, and Training; Other Supporting Materials; and For More Information sections above are provided to website users for informational purposes only. This information is not exhaustive and may be subject to change.
| Results of Search and Review | Number of Studies Identified and Reviewed for Strengthening Families Program – Birth to Three |
|---|---|
| Identified in Search | 2 |
| Eligible for Review | 1 |
| Rated High | 0 |
| Rated Moderate | 1 |
| Rated Low | 0 |
| Reviewed Only for Risk of Harm | 0 |
| Outcome | Effect Size
 and Implied Percentile Effect
|
N of Studies (Findings) | N of Participants | Summary of Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child permanency: Out-of-home placement |
Not Calculated
|
1 (2) | 1043 |
Favorable:
0 No Effect: 2 Unfavorable: 0 |
Note: For the effect sizes and implied percentile effects reported in the table, a positive number favors the intervention group and a negative number favors the comparison group. Effect sizes for some outcomes were not able to be calculated by the Prevention Services Clearinghouse.
| Outcome | Effect Size
and Implied Percentile Effect
|
N of Studies (Findings) | N of Participants | Summary of Findings |
Months after treatment when outcome measured
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child permanency: Out-of-home placement |
Not Calculated
|
1 (2) | 1043 |
Favorable:
0 No Effect: 2 Unfavorable: 0 |
- |
| Study 12930 - Strengthening Families Program Birth to 3 (SFP B-3) vs. Child Welfare Services As Usual (Brook, 2021) | |||||
| Any Reunification |
Null
not calculated |
- | 1043 | - | 9 |
| Time to Reunification |
Null
not calculated |
- | 1043 | - | 9 |
*p <.05
Note: For the effect sizes and implied percentile effects reported in the table, a positive number favors the intervention group and a negative number favors the comparison group. Effect sizes and implied percentile effects were calculated by the Prevention Services Clearinghouse as described in the Handbook of Standards and Procedures, Section 5.10.4 and may not align with effect sizes reported in individual publications. Effect sizes for some outcomes were not able to be calculated by the Prevention Services Clearinghouse.
Only publications with eligible contrasts that met design and execution standards are included in the individual study findings table.
Full citations for the studies shown in the table are available in the "Studies Reviewed" section.
The participant characteristics display is an initial version. We encourage those interested in providing feedback to send suggestions to preventionservices@abtassoc.com.
The table below displays locations, the year, and participant demographics for studies that received moderate or high ratings on design and execution and that reported the information. Participant characteristics for studies with more than one intervention versus comparison group pair that received moderate or high ratings are shown separately in the table. Please note, the information presented here uses terminology directly from the study documents, when available. Studies that received moderate or high ratings on design and execution that did not include relevant participant demographic information would not be represented in this table.
For more information on how Clearinghouse reviewers record the information in the table, please see our Resource Guide on Study Participant Characteristics and Settings.
| Characteristics of the Participants in the Studies with Moderate or High Ratings | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Study Location
|
Study Year
|
Age or Grade-level
|
Race, Ethnicity, Nationality
|
Gender
|
Populations of Interest*
|
Household Socioeconomic Status
|
| Study 12930 - Strengthening Families Program Birth to 3 (SFP B-3) vs. Child Welfare Services As Usual | ||||||
| Characteristics of the Children and Youth | ||||||
| Kansas, USA | 2015 | Average age: 13 months, 32% 1-6 months, 18% 7-12 months, 15% 13-18 months, 11% 19-24 months, 8% 25-30 months, 9% 31-36 months, 5% 37-42 months, 2% 43-47 months |
88% Not Hispanic 74% White 14% Black/African American 11% Mexican 10% Multi-Racial 1% Unable to Determine 1% American Indian/ Alaskan Native 0.4% Asian 0.2% Other Spanish Cultural Origin 0.1% Puerto Rican 0.1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
54% Male 46% Female |
100% DCF child welfare case file; 4% Multiple foster care episodes; 35% Primary removal reason was SUD-related, 65% Primary removal reason was non-SUD-related | -- |
| Characteristics of the Adults, Parents, or Caregivers | ||||||
| Kansas, USA | 2015 | Average age: 28 years; 30% 18-24 years, 39% 24-30 years, 22% 30-35 years |
86% Non-Hispanic/Latino 73% White 14% Multi-Racial 14% Hispanic/Latino 11% Black/African-American 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native |
85% Female 15% Male |
-- |
23% Annual income $10,000-$19,000 62% Annual income $0-$9,999 38% Unemployed 38% Full-time employment 18% Part-time employed 4% Self-employed 3% Not in labor force |
“--” indicates information not reported in the study.
* The information about disabilities is based on initial coding. For more information on how the Clearinghouse recorded disability information for the initial release, please see our Resource Guide on Study Participant Characteristics and Settings. The Clearinghouse is currently seeking consultation from experts, including those with lived experience, and input from the public to enhance and improve the display.
Note: Citations for the documents associated with each 5-digit study number shown in the table can be found in the “Studies Reviewed” section below. Study settings and participant demographics are recorded for all studies that received moderate or high ratings on design and execution and that reported the information. Studies that did not report any information about setting or participant demographics are not displayed. For more information on how participant characteristics are recorded, please see our Resource Guide on Study Participant Characteristics and Settings.
Studies Rated Moderate
Study 12930Brook, J., Liming, K., Coles, D. C., Smith, K., & Byers, K. (2021). Final report: Regional partnership grant - third round: Kansas Serves Substance-Affected Families (KSSAF). The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare.
This study was conducted in a usual care or practice setting (Handbook Section 6.2.2)Studies Not Eligible for Review
Study 11408
Skerfving, A., Johansson, F., & Elgán, T. H. (2014). Evaluation of support group interventions for children in troubled families: Study protocol for a quasi-experimental control group study. BMC Public Health, 14, 76. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-76
This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).