Evaluating a Family Capacity-Building Service: Are We Doing More Good Than Harm?

Abstract

Background. Parents of children with special needs are more likely to experience stress and have health-related problems. Pediatric occupational therapy interventions that build parents' capacity are often considered to be effective. It remains unclear how they can be offered without overburdening parents. Purpose. The purpose of this article is to share the findings from the evaluation of a flexible capacity-building occupational therapy service with seven families. Method. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was used to document parents' and occupational therapists' perspectives on the services, including outcomes, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Findings. Parents reported understanding their children better, having more positive attitudes toward the challenges experienced, feeling more confident that they could help them, and having more satisfactory family routines. The importance for therapists to develop nonjudgmental collaborative relationships, to be flexible and to use the time available to help families with what matters the most in their daily lives came out particularly loudly. Conclusion. This study provides a concrete example of how it is possible to build families' capacities without overburdening them. It also provides guidance to establishments wishing to take a step back to think about how they build families' capacities.