The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. The Effective Black Parenting Program (EBPP) program has been rated by the CEBC in the area of: Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (Secondary).

• Types of Maltreatment: Physical Abuse, Physical Neglect, Emotional Abuse, Exposure to Domestic Violence
• Target Population: African-American families at risk for child maltreatment.

EBPP is a parenting skill-building program created specifically for parents of African American children. It was originally designed as a 15-session program to be used with small groups of parents. Recently, a one-day seminar version of the program for large numbers of parents has been created. Since the late 1980s, EBPP has been disseminated via instructor training workshops conducted nationwide. These workshops provided training for over 3,500 professionals from 40 states.

Culturally-Specific Parenting Strategies:

• Achievement Orientation to Parenting: The Pyramid of Success for Black Children
• Traditional Black Discipline vs. Modern Black Self-Discipline
• Pride in Blackness: Positive Communications about Heritage, Coping with Racism, Avoiding Black Self-Disparagement
• Finding Special Times for All of Our Children: Chit Chat Time

General Parenting Strategies:

• Social Learning Ideas and Pinpointing and Counting Behavior
• The Thinking Parent's Approach
• Family Rules Are Like A Coin, and Family Rule Guidelines
• Children's Developing Abilities
• Children's Thinking Stages and the Development Swing between Belonging and Independence

Basic Parenting Skills Taught in a Culturally-Sensitive Manner, Using African American Language Expressions and African Proverbs:

• Effective Praise
• Mild Social Disapproval
• Ignoring
• Time Out
• Special Incentives

Special Program Topics:

• Single Parenting
• Preventing Drug Abuse

Effective Black Parenting Program (EBPP) was not designed with a child component.

Effective Black Parenting Program (EBPP) was designed with a parent/caregiver component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

• Parents living in high-risk situations that can lead to child maltreatment.

Effective Black Parenting Program (EBPP) was designed to be conducted in a group setting, and has been tested for use in a group setting.

Recommended group size:

Not specified by developer.

Testing References:

Meyers, H. F., Alvy, K. T., Arrington, A., Richardson, M. A., Marigna, M., Huff, R., et al. (1992). The impact of a parent training program on inner-city African-American families. Journal of Community Psychology, 20, 132-147

Recommended Intensity:

Weekly three-hour sessions or one-day 6.5 hours abbreviated seminar version.

Recommended Duration:

15 weeks total including a session for graduation and testifying or just one-day for the abbreviated seminar version.

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Birth Family Home
• Community Agency
• Foster Home
• Outpatient Clinic

Effective Black Parenting Program (EBPP) includes a homework component:

A variety of homework projects are required, including behavior change projects with targeted children, bringing in members of the extended black family to participate, using family rules, etc.

Effective Black Parenting Program (EBPP) does not have materials available in a language other than English.

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

• The Parent Handbooks with program and skill descriptions
• An overhead projector and screen
• And space for 8-12 parents with enough room break into dyads for skill practice.

The program is designed to be led by one instructor who presents the program, demonstrates and models the skills, and provides individual consultations to parents on their home behavior change projects.

Practitioners ranging from paraprofessional prevention specialists and parent involvement coordinators to children service workers with B.A. degrees and Ph.D.-level psychologists have been trained to deliver the program. It is best to have had prior training in behavior modification or behavior analysis as well as education and training in child development and group dynamics. In addition, exposure to Black Studies courses and materials is helpful. The majority of the 3,500 instructors trained and certified in this program have been of African descent.

There is a manual that describes how to implement this program, and there is training available for this program.

Training is obtained:

People can attend regularly scheduled workshops in different cities or the workshop can be brought to a specific location on a contractual basis.

Number of days/hours:

Five 6.5 hour days.

This program is rated a "3 - Promising Research Evidence" on the Scientific Rating Scale based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The practice must have at least one study utilizing some form of control (e.g., untreated group, placebo group, matched wait list study) establishing the practice's benefit over the placebo, or found it to be comparable to or better than an appropriate comparison practice. Please see the Scientific Rating Scale for more information.

Child Welfare Outcomes: Safety and Child/Family Well-Being