COLUMBIA – Children’s Trust has received a $4.2 million grant from The Duke Endowment to initiate the Positive Parenting Program, known as Triple P, in select South Carolina counties. Work will begin in Georgetown and Greenville counties.
“This investment is a watershed moment for how South Carolina approaches the prevention of child maltreatment. It will allow us to build a model system that can be replicated across the state,” Children’s Trust CEO Sue Williams said.
“For the first time ever, South Carolina will have a countywide, coordinated system of prevention that gives us a population-level approach to parenting and preventing child abuse and neglect. We will be able to reach all families with children of all ages and deliver measurable and significant results for reducing child maltreatment. We are grateful to The Duke Endowment for their confidence in us and for their commitment to children and families in South Carolina.”
With more than 35 years of ongoing research, Triple P is an effective, evidence-based parenting program. It offers simple, practical strategies to help parents build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behavior, and promote positive child development. Triple P has been shown to work across cultures, socioeconomic groups and in many kinds of family structures.
“Triple P will provide a wide array of parenting support so that all parents and caregivers, from those who need a little bit of encouragement to those who need a more specialized approach, can access a range of effective strategies proven to foster confidence and satisfaction with parenting and improve behaviors for children and youth,” Triple P America CEO Bradley Thomas said.
“From one-time parenting seminars and brief consultations to more involved, weekly support, Triple P is designed to meet parents where they are and help them in their parenting journey.”
Managed through a local coordinating agency, services will be provided to families by a variety of community-based service organizations, including pediatric practices, nonprofits, libraries, schools and churches.
To ensure this investment reaches its full potential, Children’s Trust is working with national implementation experts from The Impact Center at Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute within the University of North Carolina. The Impact Center has been closely involved in North Carolina’s successful Triple P implementation.
Over 10 years ago in a randomized control trial study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 900 Triple P practitioners were trained in select South Carolina counties. Those counties experienced a reduction in out-of-home placements, hospital-treated child maltreatment injuries and child maltreatment.
The trial was designed to test effectiveness of Triple P. As is usual for trials of that nature, infrastructure to support the ongoing delivery of the program was not put in place. The Duke Endowment is providing the financial support for infrastructure that was lacking in the previous effort.
“Like other innovative, evidence-based strategies, Triple P is most effective when implemented with careful attention to findings and best practices from implementation science,” said Will Aldridge, director of The Impact Center at FPG and Implementation Capacity for Triple P projects. “We look forwarding to sharing our experiences and joining with the expertise at Children’s Trust, Triple P America and local community partners to efficiently and effectively scale Triple P in South Carolina.”
Organizations in Greenville and Georgetown counties that are interested in learning more about Triple P should contact Abby Wilson, senior manager of community implementation, at 803-744-4060 or awilson@scchildren.org.
For More Information
Bett Williams
Chief Communications Officer
Children’s Trust of South Carolina
803-744-4042
bwilliams@scchildren.org
