Measuring Workforce Training for the Delivery of Playful Parenting Programs

• In Event: Global Parenting Programs - Workforce Development & Quality of Delivery

Proposal

Objective: Delivery of parenting sessions to caregivers of young children requires a well-trained workforce. Training of the workforce is therefore a critical component of program implementation, potentially key to positive outcomes. This presentation looks at the development and application of an observation tool to assess workforce training as part of FHI 360’s implementation research on the LEGO Foundation’s Playful Parenting Initiative programs in four countries (Bhutan, Rwanda, Serbia, Zambia).

Methods: The observation tool, in addition to asking about the background of trainers and trainees at the session, consisted of sections on the content taught and the teaching/learning methods. Because observers were present for several training days, they recorded observations for blocks of time of 2 to 3 hours; this provided a frequency score for the number of blocks during which content and method were observed throughout training. Content included: play, communication, responsiveness, discipline, father engagement, and maternal well-being. Methods of teaching/learning focused on active learning such as observing a delivery demonstration and role-playing practice with peers. Materials used to train the workforce, such as a delivery manual and demonstration play materials, were noted as present or absent during training. Evidence for critical delivery skills being trained, such as listening and responding to the parent and giving opportunities for parent-child interaction, were also rated as present or absent. Additional items covered provision of information on their workload and how they were to be supervised. Finally information was gathered on how trainees were assessed at the end. Observers could add comments after noting whether an event occurred. The tool was revised and verified with researchers who had developed training packages for the delivery of home visits and group sessions.

Findings: Results indicated that all programs focused on play and communication, though few emphasized modelling and training on parent-child responsive interactions. Almost all trained their workforce with a delivery Manual, though not all had illustrations that served as job aids. All spent multiple time blocks engaging trainees in active learning such as watching demonstrations of how to deliver a session, practicing with peers, and receiving feedback. Less time was spent in passive learning such as listening to a trainer talk. Surprisingly active and passive learning varied across trainings given within the same program, where one would expect to find consistency. Some but not all trainees were trained to demonstrate with play materials that parents could find at home for their own use. In terms of delivery skills, there was a wide difference across countries in attention to engaging the parent: some taught how to give the parent opportunities to practice with their child and coach the parent, whereas others did not. Finally, most had a written test at the end to assess knowledge about parenting, but none assessed trainees' performance of a mock/real session.

In conclusion, this training observation tool can be useful when describing how parenting programs train their workforce – professional, paraprofessional, and volunteer. More work needs to be done to validate it against the quality of service delivery and eventually outcomes.

Authors

• Frances Aboud, McGill University

• Carina Omoeva, FHI 360