Steps to Effective Enjoyable Parenting (STEEP)

Note: The Steps to Effective Enjoyable Parenting (STEEP) 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:

Steps to Effective Enjoyable Parenting (STEEP) has been reviewed by the CEBC in the area of Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (Secondary), but lacks the necessary research evidence to be given either a Scientific Rating or a Child Welfare Relevance Rating. Developed in 1986 by Drs. Byron Egeland and Martha Farrell Erickson, STEEP works on the premise that a secure attachment between parent and infant establishes ongoing patterns of healthy interactions. Through home visits and group sessions, STEEP facilitators work alongside parents to help them understand their child's development. Parents learn to respond sensitively and predictably to their child's needs and to make decisions that ensure a safe and supportive environment for the whole family.

Specific topics and strategies included in training:

Making relationship-based practice real, from recruitment to termination.
Using videotaping and guided viewing to promote understanding, sensitivity, and responsiveness.
Planning and leading parent-infant groups.
Challenging and supporting parents in examining how their own relationship history influences attitudes and parenting behavior.
Using an ecological approach to help reduce risk and maximize parents' support for themselves and their children.
Using reflective supervision or consultation to sustain service providers and ensure effective service.

Manual and Training section:
The publicly available information indicates that there is a manual and training available for STEEP.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research:
STEEP 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 STEEP.

References:
Egeland, B. & Erickson, M. F. (2004). Lessons from STEEP-super ™: Linking theory, research and practice for the well-being of infants and parents. In Treating parent-infant relationship problems: Strategies for intervention. Arnold Sameroff, Susan C. McDonough, & Katherine L. Rosenblum (Eds.). New York: Guilford Press.

Egeland, B., & Erickson, M. (1993). Implications for attachment theory for prevention and intervention. In Prevent in mental health, Henri Parens, Selma Kramer, & MD Lanham, (Eds.). Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson Publishers.

Erickson, M. F., Korfmacher, J., & Egeland, B. (1992). Attachments past and present: Implications for therapeutic intervention with mother-infant dyads. Annual Progress in Child Psychiatry and Child Development, 1993, 459-476.

Contact Information
Affiliation/Agency: University of Minnesota
E-mail: Egela001@umn.edu
Website: http://cehd.umn.edu/ceed/coursesandtrainings/default.html

Date review compiled: February 2008