Peer-reviewed article
Can whole-family interventions target violence and parenting in families experiencing domestic violence and abuse? A longitudinal study of the For Baby's Sake programme.
Taccini F, Trevillion K, Domoney J, Mannarini S, Ocloo J et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study evaluated the For Baby's Sake programme, a trauma-informed whole-family intervention for families experiencing domestic violence and abuse that works with mothers and fathers from pregnancy through two years postpartum. Researchers conducted interviews with 26 mothers and 13 fathers at three timepoints and found that parents reported improvements in parenting knowledge and behaviours, and some acknowledged violent behaviours and committed to change. The programme used psychoeducation on child development, video feedback on parent-child interactions, and safety planning to support change.
Key points
- Parents reported perceived improvements in parenting knowledge and behaviours through psychoeducation and video feedback of parent-child interactions
- Mothers found psychoeducation about intergenerational transmission and safety planning activities beneficial
- Some fathers acknowledged perpetration of violent behaviours and addressed their own Adverse Childhood Experiences to support behaviour change
- Both parents emphasised that a non-judgmental environment and desire to improve parenting were motivating factors for acknowledging domestic violence and committing to change
- The whole-family approach working separately with mothers and fathers showed promise in addressing both parenting and abusive behaviours
Limitations
The study relies on parents' self-reported perceptions of change rather than objective outcome measures or independent assessment of behaviour change. There is no comparison group, so it is unclear whether observed changes would have occurred without the intervention or how the programme compares to alternative approaches.
Abstract
Background This study aimed to assess the potential for a whole-family intervention for domestic violence and abuse (DVA) - the For Baby's Sake programme - to address both parenting and abusive behaviours in families experiencing DVA. This objective is achieved by investigating parents' perspective. This trauma-informed programme works separately with mothers and fathers and is intended to start in pregnancy and continue for two years. Methods Three sets of individual interviews were conducted with mothers and fathers both at the start of the programme (during pregnancy); one year after programme enrolment and at programme end. Reflexive Thematic Analysis was employed. 26 mothers and 13 fathers participated with a total of 83 interviews. Results Parents reported perceived improvements in parenting knowledge and behaviours, notably through psychoeducation on child development and feedback on video recordings of parent-child interactions. Mothers acknowledged experiences of DVA, and found psychoeducation, insights into intergenerational transmission, and safety planning activities beneficial. Some fathers acknowledged perpetration of violent behaviours. Fathers embraced change by addressing their own Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), acquiring emotional regulation skills, and committing to anger management. Both fathers and mothers stressed the importance of a non-judgmental environment and a desire to enhance parenting as motivating factors for acknowledging DVA and committing to change. Conclusions The findings suggest that whole-family approach interventions - such as the For Baby's Sake programme - holds promise in addressing both parenting and abusive behaviours in families experiencing DVA.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- For Baby's Sake programme: a trauma-informed whole-family intervention that works separately with mothers and fathers from pregnancy through two years postpartum, using psychoeducation on child development, video feedback on parent-child interactions, safety planning, and support for addressing Adve
- Population
- 26 mothers and 13 fathers in families experiencing domestic violence and abuse, enrolled during pregnancy
Key finding
Parents reported perceived improvements in parenting knowledge and behaviours