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A Methodological Review of SafeCare®

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Abstract

Objectives

More than 500,000 children experience neglect each year in the United States, yet few evidence-based parent-training programs focus primarily on preventing and mitigating the risk factors for neglect. A notable exception is SafeCare®. This review focuses on the research designs used at three phases of the SafeCare model: development, evaluation, and dissemination.

Methods

Presented in chronological order, the purpose is to highlight the 40-year evidence-base of the SafeCare model and to demonstrate that certain research designs are specific to phases of intervention development.

Results

The cumulative evidence from those 40 years for the SafeCare model and its predecessor is powerful.

Conclusions

Future research with a variety of experimental designs related to dissemination and implementation research are discussed.

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Funding

K.G. was supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award number P50 DA039838. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Methodology Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Kate Guastaferro

  2. The Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development, National SafeCare Training and Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    John R. Lutzker

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  1. Kate Guastaferro
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Correspondence to Kate Guastaferro.

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J.R.L. is the developer of SafeCare. The authors report no conflict of interest.

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Guastaferro, K., Lutzker, J.R. A Methodological Review of SafeCare®. J Child Fam Stud 28, 3268–3285 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01531-4

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