Volunteer peer support therapy for abusive and neglectful families.

This project is designed to provide tertiary prevention services to physically abusive and physically neglectful families. The prevention service described, Volunteer Peer Support Therapy, is expected to significantly improve parenting skills and parents' expectations concerning their child, their knowledge about appropriate child behaviors, and coping strategies. The aim of the project is not only to intervene during crises, but also to improve the parent-child relationship on a long-term basis. In order to accomplish this goal, trained volunteers will be matched to the families being treated for physical abuse or physical neglect. The volunteers will be trained to take on roles traditionally performed by professional therapists and case managers. These roles include matching public and private services to the needs of the clients, investigating employment opportunities, and providing parenting role models. A second purpose of the project is to demonstrate the economic advantage of Volunteer Peer Support Therapy. To achieve that goal, a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed.