Trauma-Informed Resource Parent Training and the Impact on Knowledge Acquisition, Parenting Self-Efficacy, and Child Behavior Outcomes: A Pilot of the Resource Parent Curriculum Parent Management Training (RPC+)

ABSTRACT

This pilot study illustrates one state’s development, implementation, and outcomes of a trauma-informed curriculum called the Resource Parent Curriculum + CARE (RPC+). The RPC+ is an intensive co-trained curriculum intended to be trauma-informed and skills-based focused on ameliorating child behavior problems that are frequently the source of parenting stress and placement instability. This article will provide a literature review of child and caregiver needs, describe the training curriculum, and present the results from the pilot implementation of the curriculum. Preliminary findings from this study show participants of the RPC+ show positive changes pre- to post-training on a number of dimensions that have been correlated with placement stability for children including knowledge of trauma, parenting self-efficacy, and child behavior outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Foster care
• placement stability
• training
• trauma informed

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jessica Strolin-Goltzman

Jessica Strolin-Goltzman is Associate Professor and Director of the Vermont Child Welfare Training Partnership. Her research focuses on improving social and emotional well being through interprofessional approaches to workforce development within the child serving system.

Julie McCrae

Julie McCrae is a Senior Researcher at the Chapin Hall. Her area of expertise is the development and health of children ages birth through 5 who are exposed to toxic stress or at risk for toxic stress including maltreatment.

Theresa Emery

Theresa Emery is a recent MSW graduate from the University of Vermont who is currently working in medical setting.