Overview
There are five developmental periods that are targeted from infancy to adolescence. At each developmental period, the range of the program can be either broad and target the entire population or it can be specific and target only at-risk children. The program addresses social contexts that influence parents’ daily life: mass media, primary health care services, child care and school systems, work sites, religious organizations, and the broader political system (p. 507).[1] The multilevel nature of the program is designed to increase efficiency, minimize costs, and ensure dissemination. The design also maximizes usage of existing community resources.[1]
Specific goals
Promoting self-sufficiency of parents so that they may feel confident in their abilities to parent with minimal or no additional support.
Increase parental self-efficacy so that the parent believes he or she can overcome a problem in parenting when it arises.
Use self-management tools so that parents may change parenting practices for the better. This involves self-assessment of performance, setting goals, and choosing child management techniques.
Promoting personal agency meaning that parents must learn to “own” the improvements in their family situation.
Promoting problem solving so that parents can learn how to “define problems, formulate opinions, develop a parenting plan, execute the plan, evaluate the outcome, and revise the plan as required” (p. 507).[1]