When parents receive support, children do better

What happens when parents are given better tools to support their children?

This project examines a parenting support programme for families with refugee and minority backgrounds. The aim is to strengthen parent–child interactions and prevent challenges related to emotions and behaviour.

Through the programme, parents receive practical advice and support for everyday life. They learn how to collaborate more effectively with schools and how they can support their children’s academic, social and emotional development.

The programme is based on established psychological methods and includes interventions that can also help prevent or reduce behavioural difficulties and ADHD.

At the same time, the researchers are developing a system that makes it possible to monitor what actually works throughout the programme – so that support can become even more effective and better targeted.

Results

Executive summary

The PIRM study investigated whether structured parenting programmes are effective for families with refugee backgrounds in Norway, and whether a digital goal feedback system can strengthen their impact. When the project began, research on parenting interventions adapted for refugee families in a European context was very limited, and there was a need for a strong empirical evidence base.

The study recruited 209 refugee families (270 parents) from 12 municipalities across Norway and randomly assigned them to one of two established programmes – Incredible Years (IY) or the International Child Development Programme (ICDP) – and to groups either with or without a weekly digital feedback system (MFS, delivered through the MittEcho platform).

The primary outcome measures were parental stress, child behavioural problems and parenting practices. Both programmes showed positive effects, but with different strengths: IY improved parents’ use of praise and positive reinforcement, while ICDP was more effective in reducing children’s behavioural problems. Where it was used, the feedback system contributed to a reduction in negative parenting practices.

Qualitative data showed that the group format had independent value as a source of social support, and that children – without knowing about their parents’ participation – reported changes in interaction and time spent together that reflected the content of the programme.

The study provides services and decision-makers with a strong evidence base for the use of parenting interventions with families from refugee backgrounds.