Peer support for families of children with complex needs: Development and dissemination of a best practice toolkit

Schippke, J; Provvidenza, Christine; Kingsnorth, Shauna

doi:10.1111/cch.12494

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…Specifically, social support from parents or peers, also referred as “peer support networks,” provides mutual support between parents who share similar experiences ( 14 ). The benefits of peer support networks for families have been previously identified in caregiving populations as enabling members to share their feelings, providing a sense of belonging to the community, and enlarging their social networks to include other families who can lend a hand during difficult times ( 15 ). Despite the acknowledged importance of the value of peer support networks for many complex conditions, we did not find studies that have reviewed in depth, the literature solely focused on peer support networks for families of children with NDID.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the Implications of Peer Support for Families of Children With Neurodevelopmental and Intellectual Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Chakraborti

Gitimoghaddam

McKellin

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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Background: Families are integrally involved in day-to-day caregiving of children with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities (NDID). Given the widespread and increasing prevalence of children with NDID and the impact of family caregiving on psychological, social, and economic implications for both the child and family, understanding and supporting these families is an important public health concern.Objective: We conducted a scoping review on peer support networks to understand their implications on families. Considering increasing prevalence of NDID's, understanding the implications of existing networks is critical to improve and nurture future support networks that can complement and reduce the burden on existing formal support systems.Design: A comprehensive search of multiple databases was conducted. Articles were screened by two reviewers and any disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. We explored existing research on parent-to-parent peer support networks, which included networks that developed informally as well as those that involved a formal facilitator for the group interpersonal processes. There were no limits on the study design, date and setting of the articles. We included all research studies in English that included an identifier for (i) “peer support networks,” (ii) “children with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities” and (iii) “family caregiver outcomes.”Results: We identified 36 articles. Majority of the studies were conducted in North America, and were face to face networks. They included families of children with a wide range of NDIDs. Relevant information extracted from different studies highlighted peer support network characteristics and development process, needs of family caregivers attending these networks, factors affecting caregiver participation and the impact of peer support networks on family caregivers. These networks represent a way to strengthen family caregivers, developing resilience and social interactions. Family caregivers sharing similar experiences support one another and provide critical information to each other. Although results are encouraging, future studies incorporating improved study designs are needed to better evaluate the effectiveness of peer support networks. Furthermore, studies where peer support networks develop organically while the child is supported are warranted.Conclusion: Although results obtained are encouraging, our findings support the need for further research studies of peer support networks with better designs and more detailed description of the factors involved in the development.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the Implications of Peer Support for Families of Children With Neurodevelopmental and Intellectual Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Chakraborti

Gitimoghaddam

McKellin

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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“…2 There is growing evidence of the benefits of peer support programs for families of children with complex medical needs and disabling conditions. [3][4][5][6][7] Various peer support interventions are available today, but high-quality evidence about the potential benefits and the best practice model of peer support is lacking. 3 The current Cochrane Review 1 attempts to identify evidence of the effects of peer support interventions compared with usual care or alternate interventions for parents and family caregivers of disabled children with complex medical needs in different settings.…”

Section: Backgrou N Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parents and family caregivers of children with complex needs who participate in daily caregiving activities often experience lower levels of psychological, emotional, and social well‐being compared to parents and family caregivers of typically developing children 2 . There is growing evidence of the benefits of peer support programs for families of children with complex medical needs and disabling conditions 3–7 . Various peer support interventions are available today, but high‐quality evidence about the potential benefits and the best practice model of peer support is lacking 3 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What are the effects of peer support interventions for parents and carers of children with complex needs? A Cochrane Review summary with commentary

Arman

2022

Develop Med Child Neuro

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The aim of this commentary is to discuss from a rehabilitation perspective the Cochrane Review 'Peer support interventions for parents and carers of children with complex needs' by Sartore et al., 1 published by Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group. This Cochrane Corner is produced in agreement with Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology by Cochrane Rehabilitation with views* of the review summary author in the 'implications for practice' section.

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“…Leading from Bowlby's ( 45 ) work on attachment theory, some interventions with foster parents focus on developing a secure relationship between foster parents and the children in their care. These studies have found promising decreases in behavioral challenges among children who have experienced maltreatment ( 46 – 48 ). This lends evidence for the effectiveness of relational approaches to ameliorating the impacts of childhood maltreatment by improving the relational health of these children.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Australian Maltreated Infants and Young Children Can Achieve Positive Relational Health With Neurodevelopmentally- and Trauma-Informed Interventions Provided Within Relationally-Positive and Stable Environments

Cox¹,

Frederico

Mosse³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

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Background: Childhood maltreatment such as abuse, neglect and family violence has a profound impact on children's psychological and relational functioning and their lifelong trajectory, with associated adverse physical and mental health outcomes, higher mortality rates and reduced socioeconomic opportunities. The aim of the study was to explore the impact of neurodevelopmentally- and trauma-informed interventions on the relational health of children who have experienced maltreatment.Context: The study was conducted at Berry Street Take Two, an Australian therapeutic service. Take Two provides services to Victorian children aged 0-18 years, to address the impact of the trauma they have experienced from maltreatment. Take Two clinicians use relational and ecological frameworks, neurodevelopmental research and evidence-informed approaches to repair family relationships and develop networks of caring adults that focus on meeting the child's needs. Take Two uses the NMT approach as a framework for clinical intervention-planning and is site-certified in the use of the NMT Clinical Practice tools.Method: The mixed methods study had two components. A cross sectional study of baseline and repeat clinical measure data (HoNOSCA and SDQ) with a cohort of children aged 2–11 years (n = 91), who were clients of Berry Street Take Two between 2014 and 2019, was conducted utilizing SPSS. The quantitative data analysis was supplemented by three case studies of Berry Street Take Two clients, which explored the process of intervention, including intervention type, timing and dosage. The case studies drew on the full case record for each child to illustrate the impact of NMT-informed interventions on the relational health, psychological and behavioral functioning of children.Results: The study found that Take Two intervention was associated with improved relational health, measured by the NMT metric and supported by significant positive changes on the SDQ and HoNOSCA with medium effect sizes (cohen's d). The case study analysis highlighted the importance of intervention addressing individual, family and systems elements to bring about positive change.Conclusions: This study illustrates the value of neurodevelopmental trauma-informed interventions in positively impacting on the relational health and current functioning of maltreated children and the potential to reduce the lifelong impact of maltreatment.

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Peer support for families of children with complex needs: Development and dissemination of a best practice toolkit

Abstract: The toolkit format was valuable to synthesize and share best practices in peer support. Strengths of the work include the integrated approach used to develop the toolkit and the inclusion of both the published research literature and experiential evidence.

Cited by 14 publications

References 19 publications

Understanding the Implications of Peer Support for Families of Children With Neurodevelopmental and Intellectual Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Understanding the Implications of Peer Support for Families of Children With Neurodevelopmental and Intellectual Disabilities: A Scoping Review

What are the effects of peer support interventions for parents and carers of children with complex needs? A Cochrane Review summary with commentary

Australian Maltreated Infants and Young Children Can Achieve Positive Relational Health With Neurodevelopmentally- and Trauma-Informed Interventions Provided Within Relationally-Positive and Stable Environments

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