Training parents reported for or at risk for child abuse and neglect to identify and treat their children's illnesses

Parents at-risk or reported for child abuse or neglect may demonstrate defi cits in infant and child health care skills, placing their children at grea ter risk for health problems. Research assistants, caseworkers, and a nurse provided health care skills training to parents at risk or reported for ch ild abuse or neglect. A health reference guide and other training materials were validated by health care professionals. Training involved teaching pa rents to follow a series of steps to identify symptoms, use reference and r ecord-keeping materials, determine the best form of treatment, and either t reat the illness at home, consult a physician, or seek emergency treatment. Skill acquisition was assessed through observations of parent behavior in simulated health care scenarios. A series of multiple baselines across pare nts demonstrated effectiveness of this training in the context of these sce narios. Six out of seven parents met the 100% mastery criterion. All parent s provided positive ratings of the content of the training program, the tra ining strategies, and the counselors who provided training.