Partnering for Safety and Permanence - Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (PS-MAPP) - Detailed Report

ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT TOOLS OF PS-MAPP

Because PS-MAPP is both a preparation and selection program, it includes the following family and individual assessment and development tools. Descriptions of the PS-Mapp Family Profile, EcoMap, Family Map, and Strengths Approach-Strength/Needs Assessment tools are in the Homework section of this program entry. A description of the PS-MAPP components follows:

• PS-MAPP Meetings: The ten PS-MAPP meetings are designed to mutually prepare, assess, and make selection decisions with prospective resource families based upon the family’s willingness, ability, and commitment to develop and use five core abilities. Each individual learns specific critical skills, which are practiced during the development process. The focus on skills building assures that preparation/selection workers can see the skills in action in order to document the skills in the home-study. More importantly, the preparation/selection workers are trained to provide developmental feedback to prospective resource parents, so that the parents can actually learn new skills or determine for themselves that they are unable or unwilling to perform the essential required skills.
• PS-MAPP Family Consultations: The PS-MAPP Family Consultations between the PS-MAPP Leader and members of the prospective resource family offer private time for the prospective foster family and PS-MAPP Leader to discuss strengths, progress and family needs and plan ways to meet identified needs.
• Professional Development Plan: The Professional Development Plan is both a document and a process designed to mutually develop with a family a plan for the family’s growth and development as a resource family or as a child welfare advocate, should they decide that fostering and/or adopting is not right for them at this time.
• Summary and Recommendation: Although this document summarizes the PS-MAPP process of a prospective resource family, it is also a development tool in that the family and the PS-MAPP Leader mutually negotiate its content. This document is designed to mutually create a summary of the family’s behavioral strengths and needs at the completion of the PS-MAPP program and to clearly state next steps for professional development.

Partnering for Safety and Permanence - Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (PS-MAPP) has been reviewed and it was determined that this program lacks the type of published, peer-reviewed research that meets the CEBC criteria for 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.

Lee, J. H., & Holland, T. P. (1991). Evaluating the effectiveness of foster parent training. Research on Social Work Practice, 1(2), 162-174.

Type of Study: Non-matched comparison group
Number of participants: 17 MAPP, 12 comparison
Population:

Age Range: Not given
Race/Ethnicity: Not given
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): Foster parents in training and members of the Clarke County Foster Parents Association

Location/Institution: Georgia
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations) Participants who had completed MAPP training were compared with foster parents who had not on the Adolescent/Adult Parenting Inventory (AAPI), which assesses developmental expectations, value on physical punishment, parent-child roles, and empathy towards child’s needs. No pre-test posttest differences or between group differences were found on any analyses. All participants’ scores fell within norms established for the AAPI. The authors suggest that results may have been influenced by self-selection biases and drop-outs from training, the validity of the AAPI as a measure, and training implementation, as well as by a small sample size.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None.

Puddy, R. W., & Jackson, Y. (2003). The development of parenting skill in foster parent training. Children and Youth Services Review, 25(12), 987-1013.

Type of Study:Non-matched comparison group.
Number of participants: MAPP/GPS: 62 foster parents; comparison group: 20
Population:

Age Range: 21 to 54 years
Race/Ethnicity: MAPP-GPS: 85% Caucasian, 13% African American, 2% other; comparison group: 90% Caucasian, 10% African American
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): Foster parents

Location/Institution: Kansas
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)Foster parents in-training who received the MAPP/GPS curriculum (MAPP/GPS stands for Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting/Group Selection and Participation of Foster and/or Adoptive Families which was later changed to PS-MAPP) were compared to untrained foster parent on the basic knowledge goals of the MAPP/GPS program. A questionnaire was developed and used for this study with the assistance of MAPP/GPS trainers. Parenting knowledge was also assessed using the Parenting Skills Questionnaire and a parenting behavior measure created to measure basic parenting skills. Results showed significant improvements from pre-test to posttest on all goals for MAPP/GPS training participants and on six of the PSQ scales. Scores on Communication showed a significant decrease. MAPP/GPS participants also showed gains over the comparison group in four skill areas: Know Your family, Work in Partnerships, Make an Informed Decision, and Assure Health and Safety. On the PSQ, the MAPP/GPS was lower on Communication skills and higher on Punishment/Consequences. They were also higher on Rewards skills and Predict Future Behaviors skills and lower on Identify Behaviors skills. Limitations include lack of matching or random assignment to study groups, high attrition in the MAPP/GPS group and small sample sizes.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None.

No reference materials are currently available for Partnering for Safety and Permanence - Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (PS-MAPP).