Families’ involvement with the child protection system in Portugal: A one-year follow-up study on case closure after receiving an evidence-based parenting program

Parenting programs can improve parenting practices and children’s behavior and are a key strategy in child protection services. Yet, little is known about how receiving these programs relates to families’ recurrence in child protection services over time. We examined the association between the dosage received of Standard Triple P and the child protection case closure 12 months after program completion or dropout. Additionally, we explored whether completing the program would relate to case closure compared to those who dropped out. Participants are 74 Portuguese families with children aged 6 to 12 involved with the child protection system. Families were referred to receive Standard Triple P, of which 30 families (41 %) completed it and 44 (59 %) did not complete this intervention. Families received, on average, five sessions of Standard Triple P (SD = 3.89). Families who received a higher dosage of the intervention were more likely to have their child protection case closed one year later. Similarly, results suggest an association between completing the intervention and having the child protection case closed one year later. The rate of families who complete the intervention increases up to 3 months post-intervention and remains stable until 12 months post-intervention. Our findings seem to suggest that evidence-based parenting programs’ dosage and completion are associated with an increased likelihood of case closure. This may guide decisions within the child protection system about which approaches are more likely to provide effective support to children and families.