Author Description

This report reviews the evidence for the effectiveness of different kinds of family support services, focusing on services in the United Kingdom, particularly for families who are disadvantaged or experiencing particular difficulties in their lives. The report also describes different evaluation methods and presents information on various measures and scales used to evaluate family support services. Part 1 of the report presents the conceptual framework, defining family support services and examining issues involved in evaluating such services. Part 2 presents evidence for effectiveness of the following types of services: (1) day care and early education; (2) parenting education; (3) family centers; (4) pre- and postnatal home visiting; (5) befriending and support; (6) children's mental health intervention; (7) services for disabled children and their families; (8) short-term foster care; (9) social work support; and (10) family group conferences. Part 3 presents instruments used to measure child and family outcomes related to child development and behavior, parenting, social support and resources, adult mental health and emotional well-being, and satisfaction with services. The report concludes by noting that there is good evidence for the effectiveness of high quality early education and day care services and for some parenting programs. There is much anecdotal evidence for the effectiveness of family centers. There is some evidence for the effectiveness of population- based mental health services to reduce child behavior problems and of the impact of services to support parents of children with disabilities. The report also acknowledges a need for well-designed studies of the effectiveness of U.K. family support services and for the development of appropriate outcomes measures. Contains 116 references. (KB)