Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

ACC 2024 Congress

Catch up on all the top stories and latest evidence in cardiology research with our ACC 2024 Congress hub page.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Study protocol

KContact, an enhanced intervention for contact between children in out-of-home care and their parents: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

Authors: Stephanie Taplin, Tracey Bullen, Morag McArthur, Cathy Humphreys, Margaret Kertesz, Timothy Dobbins

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

When children are unable to safely live at home with their parents, contact between these children and their parents is considered, in most cases, important for maintaining children’s sense of identity and relationships with their parents. However, the research evidence on contact is weak and provides little guidance on how to manage contact and when it is beneficial or potentially harmful. The evidence in relation to contact interventions with parents and their children who are to remain in long-term care is the most limited. A small number of studies have been identified where interventions which were therapeutic, child-focused and with clear goals, particularly aimed at preparing and supporting parents, showed some promising results. This trial aims to build on the existing evidence by trialling an enhanced model of contact in multiple sites in Australia.

Methods/Design

This study is a cluster randomised controlled trial of an enhanced contact intervention with children in long-term care who are having supervised contact with their parents. Intervention sites will implement the kContact intervention that increases the preparation and support provided to parents in relation to contact. Baseline and follow-up interviews are being conducted with parents, carers and agency workers at intervention and control sites. Follow-ups interviews will assess whether there has been an increase in children’s emotional safety and a reduction in distress in response to contact visits with their parents (the primary outcome variable as measured using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire), improved relationships between children and their parents, improved parental ability to support contact, and fewer contact visits cancelled.

Discussion

By increasing the evidence base in this area, the study aims to better guide the management and supervision of contact visits in the out-of-home care context and improve outcomes for the children and their families.

Trial Registration

Trial registered on 7 April 2015 with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12615000313​538
Literature
1.
Sen R, Broadhurst K. Contact between children in out-of-home placements and their family and friends networks: a research review. Child Family Social Work. 2011;16(3):298–309.
2.
Taplin S, Mattick RP. Supervised contact visits: results from a study of women in drug treatment with children in care. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2014;39:65–72.
3.
Quinton D, Selwyn J, Rushton A, Dance C. Contact between children placed away from home and their birth parents: Ryburn's 'reanalysis' analysed. Clin Child Psychol Psychiat. 1999;4(4):519–31.
4.
Triseliotis J. Contact between Looked after Children and Their Parents: A Level Playing Field? Adoption Fostering. 2010;34(3):59–66.
5.
McWey LM, Acock A, Porter BE. The impact of continued contact with biological parents upon the mental health of children in foster care. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2010;32(10):1338–45.PubMedPubMedCentral
6.
Barber JGD, Paul H. Children in foster care. New York: Routledge; 2004.
7.
Morrison J, Mishna F, Cook C, Aitken G. Access visits: Perceptions of child protection workers, foster parents and children who are Crown wards. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2011;33(9):1476–82.
8.
Saini M, van Wert M, Gofman J. Parent–child supervised visitation within child welfare and custody dispute contexts: An exploratory comparison of two distinct models of practice. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2012;34(1):163–8.
9.
Scott D, O'Neil C, Minge A. Contact between children in out-of-home care and their birth families. Ashfield, NSW: NSW Centre for Parenting Research, Department of Community Services; 2005.
10.
Assembly UG. Convention on the Rights of the Child. United Nations Treaty Series. 1989;1577:3.
11.
12.
Sinclair I, Gibbs I, Wilson K. Foster Carers: Why they stay and why they leave. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2004.
13.
Perry A, Rainey B. Supervised, Supported and Indirect Contact Orders: Research Findings. Int J Law Policy Family. 2007;21(1):21–47.
14.
Wattenberg E, Troy K, Beuch A. Protective supervision: An inquiry into the relationship between child welfare and the court system. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2011;33(2):346–50.
15.
Ellenbogen S, Wekerle C. Visitation practices in child welfare organizations. J Ontario Assoc Child Aid Soc. 2008;52(1):18–24.
16.
Sinclair I, Baker C, Gibbs I, Wilson K. Foster Children: Where they go and how they get on London. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2005.
17.
Farmer E, Moyers S. Kinship care: Fostering effective family and friends placements. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2008.
18.
Hunt J, Waterhouse S, Lutman E. Parental Contact for Children Placed in Kinship Care through Care Proceedings. Child Family Law Quarterly. 2010;22:71–92.
19.
Tilbury C, Osmond J. Permanency planning in foster care: A research review and guidelines for practitioners. Aust Soc Work. 2006;59(3):265–80.
20.
Beyer M. Visit Coaching: Building on Family Strengths to Meet Children’s Needs. New York: NYC Administration for Children’s Services; 2004.
21.
Beyer M. Visit Coaching: Building on Family Strengths to Meet Children's Needs. Juv Fam Court J. 2008;59(1):47–60.
22.
Smith GT, Shapiro VB, Sperry RW, LeBuffe PA. A Strengths-based Approach to Supervised Visitation in Child Welfare. Child Care Prac. 2014;20(1):98–119.
23.
Osmond J, Tilbury C. Permanency Planning Concepts. Child Aust. 2012;37(03):100–7.
24.
Fernandez E. Accomplishing Permanency: Reunification Pathways and Outcomes for Foster Children. New York. Springer. 2013
25.
Hojer I. Birth parents' perception of sharing the care of their child with foster parents. Vulnerable Children and Youth Stud. 2009;4(2):161–8.
26.
Donner A, Klar N. Design and Analysis of Cluster Randomization Trials in Health Research. In: London Arnold. 2000.
27.
Miller-Lewis LR, Sawyer AC, Searle AK, Mittinty MN, Sawyer MG, Lynch JW. Student-teacher relationship trajectories and mental health problems in young children. BMC Psychol. 2014;2(1):27.PubMedPubMedCentral
28.
Healy K, Darlington Y. Service user participation in diverse child protection contexts: principles for practice. Child Family Soc Work. 2009;14(4):420–30.
29.
Project TQA. A Methodology for Preparing ‘IDEAL’ Treatment Outlines in Psychiatry. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1982;16(3):153–8.
30.
Shapiro VBS. Heidi. : A Strengths-based Approach to Supervised Visitation in Child Welfare. In: Evidence Informed Practice Series. California Social Work Education Center Research and Training Network. 2014.
31.
Cutshaw CA, Affronti M, Elliot SA, Beyer M. Family Visit Coaching for Children in Foster Care: Setting a Research Agenda and Diving. In: 18th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect: 2012; Washington, D.C. 2012.
32.
Gearing RE, El-Bassel N, Ghesquiere A, Baldwin S, Gillies J, Ngeow E. Major ingredients of fidelity: A review and scientific guide to improving quality of intervention research implementation. Clin Psychol Rev. 2011;31(1):79–88.PubMed
33.
Paxman M, Tully L, Burke S, Watson J. Pathways of Care: Longitudinal study on children and young people in out-of-home care in New South Wales. 2013.
34.
Goodman R. Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. J Am Acad Child Adol Psychiat. 2001;40(11):1337–45.
35.
Pianta RC. Child–parent relationship scale. University of Virginia: Unpublished measure; 1992.
36.
Orme JG, Cox ME, Rhodes KW, Coakley T, Cuddeback GS, Buehler C. Casey home assessment protocol (CHAP): Technical manual. Knoxville: TN: University of Tennessee, Children’s Mental Health Services Research Center; 2006.
37.
Ondersma SJ, Chaffin MJ, Mullins SM, LeBreton JM. A brief form of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory: Development and validation. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2005;34(2):301–11.PubMed
38.
Antony MM, Bieling PJ, Cox BJ, Enns MW, Swinson RP. Psychometric properties of the 42-item and 21-item versions of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales in clinical groups and a community sample. Psychol Assess. 1998;10(2):176.
39.
Lovibond S, Lovibond PF: Manual for the depression anxiety stress scales: Psychology Foundation of Australia; Sydney Australia 1996.
40.
Whenan R, Oxlad M, Lushington K. Factors associated with foster carer well-being, satisfaction and intention to continue providing out-of-home care. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2009;31(7):752–60.
41.
Doley R, Bell R, Watt B, Simpson H. Grandparents raising grandchildren: investigating factors associated with distress among custodial grandparent. J Family Stud. 2015;ahead-of-print:1–19.
42.
Hiscock H, Bayer JK, Price A, Ukoumunne OC, Rogers S, Wake M. Universal parenting programme to prevent early childhood behavioural problems: cluster randomised trial. BMJ. 2008;336(7639):318–21.PubMedPubMedCentral
43.
Dittman CK, Farruggia SP, Palmer ML, Sanders MR, Keown LJ. Predicting success in an online parenting intervention: The role of child, parent, and family factors. J Fam Psychol. 2014;28(2):236–43.PubMed
44.
Salveron M, Lewig K, Arney F. Parenting groups for parents whose children are in care. Child Abuse Rev. 2009;18(4):267–88.
Metadata
Title
KContact, an enhanced intervention for contact between children in out-of-home care and their parents: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial
Authors
Stephanie Taplin
Tracey Bullen
Morag McArthur
Cathy Humphreys
Margaret Kertesz
Timothy Dobbins
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2461-3

Other articles of this Issue 1/2015

BMC Public Health 1/2015 Go to the issue

Research article

The epidemiology of fatal cyclist crashes over a 14-year period in Alberta, Canada

Research article

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of food safety education interventions for consumers in developed countries

Research article

Determinants of tobacco smoking among rural-to-urban migrant workers: a cross-sectional survey in Shanghai

Research article

Design, implementation and evaluation of a training programme for school teachers in the use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests as part of a basic first aid kit in southern Malawi

Research article

Weekday and weekend patterns of objectively measured sitting, standing, and stepping in a sample of office-based workers: the active buildings study

Research article

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Hong Kong population towards human A/H7N9 influenza pandemic preparedness, China, 2014