The effectiveness of parent aides in the tertiary prevention of child abuse in South Australia.
A parent aide program using volunteer experienced mothers to prevent reabuse of children (tertiary prevention) has been highly successful (97% prevention) in Southern Adelaide, South Australia. The program was modeled on that described by Kempe and widely used in North America. Only minor modifications have been required to establish the program in South Australia. The outcome of the first five years' experience indicates that, despite a work load of more than 20 hours per month per client, less than 10% of volunteer parent aides withdrew from their two-year commitment to the program. The cost-benefit ratio of the program appears very low and the prevention of reabuse by mothers involved was less than that for other clients assessed by the Southern Metropolitan Child Protection Panel, which referred all cases for a parent aide in the five-year period reviewed. Difficulties in maintaining the program did arise but were dealt with by close liaison between the parent aide, the program coordinators, and the primary care worker in the community who was usually a social worker in the Department for Community Welfare. The parent aide program has proved a cost-effective and successful method of tertiary prevention.
Lines
D R
DR
Department of Paediatrics, Flinders University of South Australia.
D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002669:Child Welfare; D003150:Community Health Workers; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D011314:Preventive Health Services; D013021:South Australia; D014838:Volunteers