The University of Washington Population Health Initiative announced the award of eight pilot grants to teams representing researchers from seven different UW schools and colleges and several community-based partners. The program supports researchers in developing preliminary data or the proof-of-concept needed to pursue follow-on funding to scale one’s efforts. Two of the eight awards were given to faculty members in our department: Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez, PhD, received a grant for “Parent Behavior Management Training for Foster Caregivers”, and Myra Parker, JD, PhD, received a grant for “STIM A SPU’US – “What’s in Your Heart”: A Culturally Adapted, Trauma Informed Parenting Intervention for the Colville Tribes.
Dr. Gonzalez’s project will adapt and pilot the First Approach Skills Training for Disruptive Behavior (FAST-B) curriculum for caregivers of foster children. (FAST-B) is an evidence-based behavioral parent training program to address behavior problems in children ages 4-11 including oppositional behavior, parent-child relationship and adjustment problems. Many foster parents feel inadequately prepared to meet the behavioral and emotional needs of foster children, and FAST-B can potentially enhance foster caregiver guidance and support.
Dr. Parker’s project will implement a pilot test of a culturally congruent, trauma informed, parenting skills curriculum that provides critical parenting support to Colville families. American Indian (AI) communities have experienced and continue to experience family disruption due to contacts with the foster care system, parental substance use and untreated trauma response. Moreover, historical trauma, intergenerational trauma and individual trauma remain prevalent, yet few parenting skills curricula address these issues in a culturally congruent manner. The project will test the curriculum’s feasibility and preliminary efficacy in the Colville community by examining pre and post assessment scores on parenting knowledge, reflective functioning, and cultural connectedness. It will also assess the quality of the curriculum and the overall fit through curriculum satisfaction.
