Safe Environment for Every Kid (SEEK) was developed by the University of Maryland. It is a clinical model, delivered in paediatric clinics to families of children aged 0-5 years. The program goal is to significantly reduce maltreatment rates. It involves training medical residents to address targeted risk factors, screening all families with the brief parenting screening questionnaire, providing doctors and parents with resources in the form of handouts, and establishing a resident social worker team.
See also Safe Environment for Every Kid Program Summary in the Preventing Child Maltreatment Evidence Review.
The target group for the program was socioeconomically disadvantaged primary caregivers of young children in the pre-school years. One study located at a university-based resident continuity clinic in the USA had 729 families in the original sample size, and 558 families in the final sample size (Dubowitz et al. 2009). The mean child age was 6 months for the intervention group, and 8 months for the control group. The mean parent age was 25.3 years. 93% of the intervention group, and 94% of the control group were Black. Approximately a third of the sample were employed. The study used participation in the Medical Assistance scheme as an indicator of socioeconomic status: 93% of the intervention group and 92% of the control group received Medical Assistance. In the intervention group, 36% did not complete high school, 36% completed high school, and 28% had at least some college education. In the control group, 42% did not complete high school, 38% completed high school, and 20% had at least some college education. The mean number of children in the home was 2.3, the mean number of adults in the home was 2.2.
The review did not identify any evidence that the program has been evaluated in Australia or with First Nations communities.
Child protection services reports, Medical chart documentation; Corporal/physical punishment/discipline: Dubowitz and colleagues (2009) demonstrated a positive effect of the program on child abuse and neglect outcomes including child protection reports, medical chart documentation and harsh discipline. There were significantly fewer child protection services reports for families in the intervention group compared to the control group (respectively 13.3% and 19.2%, p = .03). The intervention group had fewer items in their medical charts that suggested neglect, including fewer instances of non-adherence to medical care (4.6%) compared to the control group (8.4%), p =.05 and delayed immunisations (3.3%) compared to the control group (9.6%), p = 0.02. Parents in the intervention group reported fewer instances of severe or very severe physical assault.
None.
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Overall, the program had a positive effect on client outcomes.
Promising research evidence:
The components of the intervention are:
Early intervention specialists, early childhood teachers, and other service professionals are consulted as needed for advice and referral.
Information not available
Clinical residents are trained over 2 half-days, with booster sessions every 6 months.
A cluster RCT was conducted with an initial sample size of 729 families, and a final sample size of 558 families (Dubowitz et al., 2009).
16 Feb 2023
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Informed by lessons of the past, Department of Communities and Justice is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.
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