title: Validity and reliability of the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale (FES) for the social, health and educational services in Finland.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This paper reports a study testing of the validity and reliability of the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale in family services in Finland.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The role of family services in parental reinforcement is important, given their extensive reach to most families and their aim of promoting family welfare. No instruments applicable to this situation were available in Finland. The Family Empowerment Scale is a widely used instrument that measures parent's empowerment. The personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale enables an evaluation of the reinforcement of empowerment.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used a cross-sectional survey design.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Family Empowerment Scale was modified to measure how family services personnel evaluate reinforcement of parental empowerment. In May 2009, a questionnaire was sent to unit heads (n = 457) in public social, health and educational services for families with children aged 0-9 years. The construct, convergent and discriminant validities, reliability and responsiveness of the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to confirmatory factor analysis, the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale comprised three subscales (family, service system and community) as in the original Family Empowerment Scale. Confirmed convergent and discriminant validities supported the same construct. The reliability of the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale was acceptable. The reinforcement level of parental empowerment was high. Parental empowerment was reinforced most in health and least in educational services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The psychometric properties of the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale were acceptable. It can serve as a generic instrument for assessing reinforcement of empowerment in family services in Finland.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, Nursing Science, University of Tampere, Finnish Post Graduate School in Nursing Science, Finland.
authors.forename: Maaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vuorenmaa
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Halme
authors.forename: Päivi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Åstedt-Kurki
authors.forename: Marja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaunonen
authors.forename: Marja-Leena
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Perälä
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011209:Power, Psychological; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: empowerment; instrument testing; nursing; parents; personnel; reliability; validity