1. Evidence For Program Improvement
  2. Social Competence Family Relations and Parenting Skills
  3. Increase Frequency of Sessions Over Longer Periods of Time

Increase Frequency of Sessions Over Longer Periods of Time

Increase Frequency of Sessions Over Longer Periods of Time

Evidence

The three family relations and parenting skills interventions that met with participants more than once per week and for longer than 10 weeks showed greater improvements in social competence than those that did not have this level of intensity. The most successful interventions addressed the needs of children and their parents, with services at least twice per week for at least several months.

Family relations and parenting skills interventions need sufficient length and intensity to support the development of parenting skills and youth social skills. A combination of intervention length and more frequent contact is important – our analysis indicated that it is not enough to meet with parents, families, and children over a long period of time without frequent (i.e., more than once per week) contact. Likewise, it is not enough to meet many times per week if the intervention lasts only a short time.

Family relationships are complex, and interventions targeting family relations or parenting skills may require longer periods of time to produce changes in children’s social skills -- especially if they focus primarily on skills training for parents. Family relations and parenting skills interventions also may benefit from more frequent opportunities to reinforce and practice skills. Moreover, higher intensity interventions allow for a trusting relationship to be built between provider and participant, which can help engage participants and retain them over longer time periods. Many, though not all, of the interventions in our analysis took place in community settings. If your family relations and parenting skills intervention takes place in a school setting, you may have limited ability to align with this recommendation. Increasing the length and frequency of the intervention will be contingent on the flexibility of the school’s schedule and the strength of your relationship with school administration.

Assess Feasibility

  • Program objectives.
    Revisit what your program is trying to achieve and the reasons for the current length and intensity of your program. Is it realistic to expect that the desired outcomes can be achieved given the current number and frequency of sessions?
  • Current program structure.
    Assess the length and intensity of your current services, and determine if either needs to increase. How many weeks does the program last? How many times per week do parents and/or children meet with a provider or receive program services? Do you need to increase both length and intensity or just one?
  • Program resources.
    Consider what resources would be necessary to extend the number of weeks your program lasts and the number of times per week you meet with families, individual parents, or children. Would you need to hire additional staff, negotiate with current funders, or identify additional resources?
  • Program setting.
    Consider any constraints presented by the intervention’s setting. If you are in a school, determine if there is flexibility in the schedule and build support for the change among administration and teachers.
  • Current content.
    Review current plans or curriculum and assess how increasing the length or frequency of sessions would affect content. Would you expand on current content in a more in-depth way, or would you add new content?
  • Recruitment and retention.
    Consider how increasing the length of the program might affect participation and responsiveness. Would you need to focus more on recruitment and keeping families engaged over time? What barriers might families face when asked to attend sessions more than once per week, and what can your organization do to reduce those barriers?

Take Action

Consider any of the following depending on the results of your feasibility assessment:

  • Increase the frequency with which you engage families, ideally to more than once per week. For example, consider increasing therapy or training sessions for the child or parent to two times per week, adding a weekly joint parent-child session, or a weekly multi-family support group.
  • Decide what enhancements are realistic, and try incremental changes. For instance, gradually increase the frequency of sessions over the duration of the program.
  • Increase the period of time over which your program engages families. If your program meets fewer than 10 weeks, consider extending it to at least 10 weeks.
  • With additional time added to the program, consider adding content on cognitive or interpersonal skills for youth, if you are not already (see Recommendation 3).
  • Consider additional supports needed to maintain families’ interest in the program over a longer period of time, and to gain their commitment to more than once per week contact. For example:
    • Send multiple reminder texts, calls, and emails.
    • Follow up with families who miss a session, and offer make-up sessions.
    • Include fun activities for parents and play for children, to keep the sessions positive and engaging.
    • For group sessions, cultivate a supportive environment where parents keep each other accountable for attending.
    • Offer incentives - that are effective for your participants - for attending sessions such as gift cards, provide dinner if meeting in the evening, and assistance with transportation or other identified needs.
    • Consider meeting closer to where the majority of your participants live or work to reduce transportation challenges.
    • Consider whether virtual sessions are an option, but work with your participants to ensure they have access to necessary technology. For example, explore community resources and local businesses that may be able to provide free internet access.