National agency–university partnership for a web-based positive parenting policy and evidence-based practices

ABSTRACT

This study showcases the collaborative work between, on the one side, the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services, and Equality and the Federation of Municipalities and Provinces and, on the other side, a consortium of eight Spanish universities. The aims are to implement a positive parenting policy to adopt codes of professional best practices to improve prevention work with families. Sixty professionals from 30 local agencies collaborated in the drafting of a Guide of Best Practices in Positive Parenting and the development of an e-tool (http://familiasenpositivo.org). The e-tool allows for the assessment of 25 best practices and 188 indicators to improve the quality of positive parenting services, the professional work done with families, and the programmes provided. The process of dissemination among professionals is also described. Results showed that the e-tool is an instrument that is reliable and useful to introduce a culture of best practices and to promote quality assurance in the services.

KEYWORDS:

• Agency–university partnership
• evidence-based practices
• quality assurance
• e-tool assessment
• positive parenting

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services, and Equality and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces for their ongoing support to the collaborative framework. We are also grateful to the professionals in the child and family services who participated in the evaluation study, to those professionals who are contributing to the dissemination of the e-tool and to the services involved in the quality-assurance process. Finally, our thanks to Ainhoa Manzano for her efficient work as content manager of the webpage Familias en positivo.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

María José Rodrigo, PhD is a Professor at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain. She is the Director of the Master in Family, Social and Community Intervention and Mediation. She is a former President of the European Association of Developmental Psychology and Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS). Priority research lines are Positive Parenting, Elaboration, Implementation and Evaluation of Positive Parenting programs; and Neurobiology of Maternal Neglectt. She coordinates the Experts Group on Positive Parenting of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equity and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.

María Luisa Máiquez, PhD, is a Professor at the Department of Developmental Psychology and Education, Faculty of Psychology, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain. Priority research areas are Positive parenting, Parent Education, and Family Intervention. She is member of the Expert Group on Positive Parenting of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equity and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.

Victoria Hidalgo, PhD is a Professor at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Seville, Spain. She coordinates a research group specialized in the elaboration, implementation and evaluation of Positive Parenting programs. She has extensive experience in institutional counseling and training of professionals in the field of family intervention. She is member of the Experts Group on Positive Parenting of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equity and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.

Juan Carlos Martín Quintana, PhD, is a Professor at the Department of Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain. He is member of the Inclusive Education research group. The main lines of research are Positive Parenting, Group parental education, Family intervention with families in a situation of psychosocial risk; and early school dropout. He is member of the Expert Group on Positive Parenting of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equity and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.

Raquel-Amaya Martínez-González, Ph.D is a Professor at the Department of Educational Sciences, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain. She coordinates the Research Group on Educational Intervention in the Family, the School and the Social Field (IEFES). Priority research lines are Positive Parenting, Emotional Education, and School-Family-Community Partnerships. She is member of the Expert Group on Positive Parenting of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equity and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.

Esperanza Ochaita Alderete, PhD, is a Professor at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. She was the founder of the University Institute UAM-UNICEF on Children rights and needs and currently belongs to the Steering Committee. She is the Director of the Master in Child Needs, Rights and Development Cooperation in the UAM and the Coordinator of the Institute of Needs and Rights of Children and Adolescents: www.iundia.es. She is member of the Expert Group on Positive Parenting of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equity and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.

M. Angels Balsells Bailón, PhD, is a Professor at the Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, Social Work and Psychology University of Lleida, Spain. She is director of the Chair Education and Adolescence and she is member of the Research Group for Social and Educational Interventions in Child and Youth. Her research activity is focused on Family Reunification in Child Protection System; Positive parenting; and Participation of children, adolescents and youth. She is member of the Expert Group on Positive Parenting of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equity and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces. She has led the research partnership with the UNICEF Spanish Committee of Children's Rights and Education since 2010.

Enrique B. Arranz Freijo, Ph.D, is at the Professor at the Department of Basic Psychological Processes and its Development. University of the Basque Country. Spain. Co-director of HAEZI-ETXADI group. Priority research lines are Family context and child development, Positive parenting policies, Family-School coeducation, Perinatal family context and child development, and Family context and Executive Functions development. He is member of the Expert Group on Positive Parenting of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equity and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.

ORCID

María José Rodrigo http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5504-886X

María Luisa Máiquez http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3779-4839

Victoria Hidalgo http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9179-2722

Juan Carlos Martín Quintana http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7283-1952

Raquel-Amaya Martínez-González http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3254-8655

Esperanza Ochaita http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4705-989X

M. Angels Balsells Bailón http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3283-8222

Enrique B. Arranz Freijo http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4481-3420