The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare

This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cebc4cw.org/

Parents as Tender Healers (PATH)

Note: The Parents as Tender Healers (PATH) program declined to participate in the CEBC review process. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources.

Scientific Rating:
NR
Not able to be Rated
See scale of 1-5

Relevance to Child Welfare Rating:
NR
Not able to be Rated
See scale of 1-3

Brief Description:

Parents as Tender Healers (PATH) has been reviewed by the CEBC in the areas of Placement Stabilization and Resource Parent Recruitment and Training, but lacks the necessary research evidence to be given either a Scientific Rating or a Child Welfare Relevance Rating. PATH is a ten-week curriculum developed to train prospective foster parents. Sessions are intended to help parents decide whether fostering or adoption is appropriate for them. Sessions address:

  • How resource families differ from birth families.
  • How and why children in the welfare system develop survival behaviors.
  • The different roles of birth, legal, and caregiving parents.
  • Characteristics of successful resource families.
  • The types of abuse and neglect experienced within the child welfare system, survival behaviors developed, and the emotional issues underlying these behaviors.
  • The impact of separation and trauma on children and the importance of emotional attachment.
  • Understanding issues faced by children in transition and identifying existing and future family strengths and support.
  • Tools and techniques to help children develop attachment.
  • Disciplinary techniques for children who have experienced trauma.

The final session consists of a panel discussion with experienced Resource parents and children.

Manual and Training section:
There is a handbook available by request from http://www.nrcadoption.org.

Relevant Research:
PATH has been reviewed and it was determined that this program lacks the type of published, peer-reviewed research that meets the CEBC criteria for a scientific rating of 1 - 5. Therefore, the program has been given the classification of "NR - Not able to be Rated." It was reviewed because it was identified by the topic expert as a program being used in the field, or it is being marketed and/or used in California with children receiving services from child welfare or related systems and their parents/caregivers. Some programs that are not rated may have published, peer-reviewed research that does not meet the above stated criteria or may have eligible studies that have not yet been published in the peer-reviewed literature. For more information on the "NR - Not able to be Rated" classification, please see the Scientific Rating Scale.

There are currently no published, peer-reviewed research studies for PATH.

References:
There are no published reference articles about PATH.

Contact Information
Affiliation/Agency: Spaulding for Children
Phone: 248-443-7080

Date review compiled: February 2009 (originally reviewed in July 2007)