title: Motivation to join and benefits from participation in parent mutual aid organizations.
abstract: Findings from the Parent Mutual Aid Organizations (PMAOs) in the Child Welfare Demonstration Project are presented with particular emphasis on parents' motivation to join PMAOs and the benefits from their involvement. Members' perceptions from qualitative investigations are compared with a controlled outcome study. PMAO members show less loneliness, more enthusiasm about their lives, and improved self-esteem and confidence. PMAOs result in substantially less reliance on child protection professionals, fewer child placements, and cost savings for the host agency.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. gcameron@wlu.ca
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cameron
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D003256:Community Participation; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009042:Motivation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012649:Self Concept; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D014481:United States