Assessing the effectiveness of El Paso’s Safe Start program

• In Event: Intervening for Children’s Violence Exposure: Findings from the National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches

Abstract

The El Paso, TX community has been affected by family and community violence due in part to its proximity to the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, which has been at the forefront of the Mexican drug war. El Paso shares common characteristics with the Mexican city including culture, intensive population migrations, high unemployment, persistent poverty, drug trafficking and drug abuse problems. In an effort to reduce the impact of children and adolescents exposed to violence in El Paso, the Aliviane Behavioral Health Center delivered a cultural adaptation of the Strengthening Families Program called Dando Fuerza a la Familia (DFF). DFF is a 14-week program with 2 hour weekly sessions for parents, children, and families that focuses on skill development for both parents and children. This intervention was evaluated within a randomized controlled trial, comparing it to case management and community referrals. This paper will describe the DFF program as it was implemented by the El Paso Safe Start program, present data on study enrollment, retention, and power, and share the results of the analysis on the effectiveness of the intervention on key child-level outcomes.

Author

• Dionne Barnes-Proby, RAND