Community Implementation of KEEP: Fidelity and Generalization of Parenting

The primary goal of this study is to utilize this opportunity as a real-world platform for addressing three key questions that need to be answered prior to wide-scale implementation of the KEEP intervention. First, do the effects of the KEEP parent training generalize (concurrently) to other children currently in foster and kin intervention homes and lead to reductions in overall levels of behavior problems? Second, does the KEEP intervention continue to have effects after the completion of the intervention and generalize (temporally) to new children who enter the homes of these families at a later point in time? Finally, as the KEEP intervention is being implemented by a community agency in a real-world system of care, can the intervention be delivered and maintained in a manner that preserves the goals and quality of the intervention?

Children in foster care, between the ages of 5 and 12, will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions - the KEEP intervention or a "services as usual" condition. In the KEEP intervention condition, foster and kin caregivers will participate in 16 weekly group meetings. Outcomes to be assessed include child problem behavior (of the focal child and other children in the household), child functioning, parental stress, family functioning, use of mental health services, child placement changes (e.g., reunification with biological parents, move to another foster home), and foster parent retention rates. In addition, for a year following the completion of the intervention, new children entering the home of foster/kin caregiver will be included in the assessments, along with the impact of these additional children on parental stress and family functioning. Finally, several dimensions of intervention fidelity (e.g., facilitator adherence and group engagement) will be assessed and examined in relation to child, family, and system outcomes.