Learnings from Large-Scale, Population-Level Implementation of Parenting Support
There is considerable evidence supporting the efficacy and effectiveness of parenting interventions based on social learning principles for a range of social, emotional, and health problems, involving different types of families and through a variety of delivery systems. The challenge now is “going to scale” in order to have a positive impact at a population level. This chapter introduces three best practice exemplars that have taken place in the United States, Ireland, and Australia, where a full multilevel systems approach to parenting support has been applied and evaluated. These applications provide important lessons regarding the barriers and facilitators that can influence an initiative’s success and degree of impact. By illustrating how these approaches have involved different populations, behavioral targets, evaluation designs, and means of assessing outcome, they also hint at the many possibilities that are available in future dissemination efforts.