Reducing Parental Conflict programme 2018 to 2022: final evaluation report
This report summarises evaluation findings from the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme (RPC) between summer 2020 and summer 2022, as well as final qualitative research conducted in 2022.
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Research background
The programme was introduced in 2017 and this is the final report from the evaluation.
This report, commissioned from IFF research, focuses mainly on the experiences of parents who accessed the interventions tested, based on surveys and in-depth qualitative research with over 1,000 parents, and case studies with 11 local authorities. It draws on both quantitative and qualitative strands of the evaluation to report on parents’ perceptions on the impact of the programme and local authorities experiences of training their workforce and integrating RPC into their family support offer.
Contribution to the evidence base
The evidence base of existing publications linked to this research include:
“Reducing Parental Conflict programme evaluation: an evaluation of the effects of specialist interventions on parental relationships and children”. This report provided findings from a quantitative study which evaluated the efficacy of 7 tested interventions, focusing on how they improved both interparental relationships and children’s wellbeing.
“Reducing Parental Conflict Programme Evaluation: third report on implementation”. This report provided interim findings from research mostly conducted between January and December 2021. The main purpose of this report was to support local authorities and their partners to embed best practice within their areas, focusing upon 3 core components:
- Intervention delivery
- Training
- Local integration
“Reducing Parental Conflict programme: diary research with parents accessing interventions”. This report illustrates the findings of longitudinal research conducted by DWP’s In-House Research Unit (IHRU) of parents who participated in 7 interventions tested under the 2018 to 2022 Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) Programme.
“Reducing Parental Conflict Programme: Challenge Fund phase 2 learning report”. This report discussed how the Challenge Fund was designed to grant fund 10 innovative projects to further build the evidence base on what works to reduce parental conflict within disadvantaged families in 2 streams of work:
- Digital support
- Support for particular cohorts of disadvantaged families
“Reducing Parental Conflict: a digital discovery” discussed how parents in low-income households that experience parental conflict search for help online and the digital support they need.
A recent literature review on the relationship between substance abuse and parental conflict documented the complexity of issues contributing to family stress.
Reducing Parental Conflict programme and resources
Reducing Parental Conflict programme: evaluation
Reducing Parental Conflict programme evaluation: third report on implementation
Reducing Parental Conflict programme evaluation: second report on implementation
Reducing Parental Conflict programme evaluation: report on early implementation
Research value
The report provides initial evidence on parents perceived impact of the programme and further evidence on implementation.
Findings will be of particular interest to local authorities when developing their future strategies of support for parents in conflict, as well as for central government so learning can shape future policy in this space. It will also be valuable to organisations working with, or on behalf of, families.
Updates to this page
Published 24 August 2023Last updated 19 September 2023 + show all updates
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Added HTML version of 'Reducing Parental Conflict programme 2018 to 2022: final evaluation report'.
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First published.