Abstract
Background
This paper reports part of a wider systematic review commissioned by the English National Safeguarding Panel on Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI). The wider review covered three areas: interventions to improve safer sleep practices in high‐risk families, interventions to improve engagement with services, and decision making by parents at high risk of SUDI about infant sleep environments. Here we report the qualitative and quantitative studies reviewed under the engagement strand. Parental engagement is understood to be a multidimensional task for health and social care professionals comprising attitudinal, relational, and behavioural components.
Methods
Following a PROSPERO registered systematic review synthesising the three strands outlined, twenty‐eight papers were found to be relevant in the review of interventions to improve engagement with services in families with children at risk of significant harm through abuse or neglect. No studies were found that specifically focused on engagement of families at high risk for SUDI, so these wider engagement studies were included.
Results
The different types of intervention reported in the included studies are described under two broad themes: Enablers (including parental motivation and working with families) and Barriers. Given the focus in the studies on interventions that support parental engagement the Enablers theme is more extensive than the Barriers reported although all studies noted well understood barriers. The evidence underpinning these interventions and approaches are reviewed in this paper.
Conclusions
We conclude that effective engagement is facilitated by experienced professionals given time to develop supportive non‐judgemental relationships with families in their homes, working long‐term, linking with communities and other services. Whilst these conclusions have been drawn from wider studies aimed at reducing child maltreatment, we emphasise lessons to be drawn for SUDI prevention work with families with children at risk of significant harm.
This paper reports part of a wider systematic review commissioned by the English National Safeguarding Panel on Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI). The wider review covered three areas: interventions to improve safer sleep practices in high‐risk families, interventions to improve engagement with services, and decision making by parents at high risk of SUDI about infant sleep environments. Here we report the qualitative and quantitative studies reviewed under the engagement strand. Parental engagement is understood to be a multidimensional task for health and social care professionals comprising attitudinal, relational, and behavioural components.
Methods
Following a PROSPERO registered systematic review synthesising the three strands outlined, twenty‐eight papers were found to be relevant in the review of interventions to improve engagement with services in families with children at risk of significant harm through abuse or neglect. No studies were found that specifically focused on engagement of families at high risk for SUDI, so these wider engagement studies were included.
Results
The different types of intervention reported in the included studies are described under two broad themes: Enablers (including parental motivation and working with families) and Barriers. Given the focus in the studies on interventions that support parental engagement the Enablers theme is more extensive than the Barriers reported although all studies noted well understood barriers. The evidence underpinning these interventions and approaches are reviewed in this paper.
Conclusions
We conclude that effective engagement is facilitated by experienced professionals given time to develop supportive non‐judgemental relationships with families in their homes, working long‐term, linking with communities and other services. Whilst these conclusions have been drawn from wider studies aimed at reducing child maltreatment, we emphasise lessons to be drawn for SUDI prevention work with families with children at risk of significant harm.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 713-731 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Child: Care, Health and Development |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 30 Apr 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We would like to thank all those who responded to requests for literature relevant to our review, and to Dr. Rachel Moon at the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death for her support with our request. We are grateful to Dr. Charlie Foster at the University of Bristol, for guidance with the quality assessment tool. Finally, our thanks to Sarah Herring at the University of Bristol Library services for helping with database searches. This work was funded by the Department for Education to support the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review of SUDI in families with children at risk of significant harm. The funder had no role in the design, analysis or interpretation of results. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of the Department for Education or National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.
Funding Information:
This work was funded by the Department for Education to support the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review of SUDI in families with children at risk of significant harm. The funder had no role in the design, analysis or interpretation of results. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of the Department for Education or National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Child: Care, Health and Development published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy
- engagement
- child protection