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Behavior ProblemNCT06170047

Chicago Parent Program for Foster and Kinship Caregivers

A study testing Chicago Parent Program for Foster Care in people with Behavior Problem and Parenting, run by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati at 1 site in United States.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

The primary objective of this study is to test the effects of an evidence-based prevention intervention (CPP) adapted for foster and kinship caregivers of young children (FC; foster care) on caregiver competence and child behavior problems for children in foster care compared with an active comparator group that… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 2 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Behavior Problem, Parenting
What is being tested?
Chicago Parent Program for Foster Care
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
300 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
2 Feb 2024to 30 Aug 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 2 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Must be a licensed foster caregiver or kinship caregiver to a foster child between the ages of 2 and less than 9 years of age
  • Must be a licensed foster caregiver or kinship caregiver to a foster child in Ohio and in the custody of Hamilton County Job and Family Services, Butler County Children Services, or Montgomery County Children Services
  • Must be in good standing with the foster care agency
  • Must be English-speaking

Who cannot join

  • Not having a foster child between the ages of 2 and less than 9 years
  • The foster child not being in the custody of Ohio counties: Hamilton County Job and Family Services, Butler County Children Services, or Montgomery County Children Services
  • The foster child was placed in the home more than 45 days prior to enrollment
  • The foster child being moved out of the placement prior to the start of the intervention
  • The foster child having been previously enrolled with another caregiver
  • The caregiver having been previously enrolled with another child
  • The caregiver unable to commit to completing all study activities
  • The foster child is not enrolled in the study

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: The Chicago Parent Program for Foster Care: A Randomized Control Trial Examining the Prevention of Behavior Problems Among Young Children in Foster Care Through Group-based Foster Caregiver Training

The primary objective of this study is to test the effects of an evidence-based prevention intervention (CPP) adapted for foster and kinship caregivers of young children (FC; foster care) on caregiver competence and child behavior problems for children in foster care compared with an active comparator group that receives standard supports through the child welfare and healthcare systems (i.e., usual care).

Read the detailed description

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of an evidence-based parenting program, The Chicago Parent Program (CPP) adapted for foster and kinship caregivers of young children (CPP-FC). A parallel, two-arm, randomized controlled trial of 300 caregiver-youth dyads will be conducted, comparing the impact of CPP-FC versus a usual care control on caregivers and foster youth. Quantitative and qualitative data about CPP-FC will be collected from foster and kinship caregivers and through observations of caregivers and youth. The findings from this study will demonstrate whether CPP-FC is effective in reducing behavior problems in young foster children and whether that contributes to reduced caregiver stress, increased caregiver confidence, increased positive parenting behavior, and longer lengths of time that children remain with foster and kinship caregivers, preventing unnecessary moves from one caregiver to another and improving child wellbeing.

Being tested
Chicago Parent Program for Foster Care, Usual Care
Keywords
Foster care, Child behavior, Parenting skills, Behavioral health, Prevention, Parenting confidence, Parenting stress
Medical subject headings
Mental Disorders, Child Behavior

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Chicago Parent Program for Foster CareBehavioural

    Also called CPP-FC, Caregivers on Point

    CPP-FC consists of 12 two-hour sessions delivered virtually by two trained group leaders over 16 weeks (11 concurrent weeks, 1 one-month booster) in a group-based format. Foster and kinship caregivers of young children are systematically taught parenting skills through group discussions, videotaped vignettes, structured role play and weekly homework assignments.

  • Usual CareOther

    The Usual Care control will receive services from the county, CHECK clinic, and for licensed caregivers, their licensing agency per usual care. Caregivers receive training and support from their county and/or private licensing agency, children are referred to community services by the caseworker when behaviors emerge, and support from behavioral health specialists is available when caregivers request them.

Study groups in NCT06170047
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Chicago Parent Program for Foster CareExperimentalThe Chicago Parent Program for Foster Care (CPP-FC) is a caregiver-directed prevention program to strengthen parenting skills and confidence in foster and kinship caregivers and prevent or reduce behavior problems in children 2-8 years old. CPP-FC was designed to specifically meet the unique needs of children ages 2-8 who are placed with foster and kinship caregivers. Participants assigned to CPP-FC will receive CPP-FC and the services typically offered from the county, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Comprehensive Health Evaluations for Cincinnati's Kids (CHECK) clinic, and for licensed caregivers, their licensing agency.
Receives: Behavioral: Chicago Parent Program for Foster Care
Usual CareActive comparatorUsual Care control will receive standard care offered from the county, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Comprehensive Health Evaluations for Cincinnati's Kids (CHECK) clinic, and for licensed caregivers, their licensing agency.
Receives: Other: Usual Care

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Parental Stress Scale

    The Parental Stress Scale is an 18-item questionnaire that assesses parental stress relating to parental sensitivity to the child, child behavior, and quality of the caregiver-child relationship. Items are rated on a 5-point scale, ranging from 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 5 ("Strongly agree"). Some items are reverse scored. Items are summed to yield a total score, with higher scores indicating higher levels of parental stress.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months (mid-point), and 6 months (follow-up)

  2. Change in Perceived Stress Scale

    The Perceived Stress Scale is a 14-item self-report measure of how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded individuals find their life circumstances. All items are rated on a 5-point scale, ranging from 0 ("Never") to 4 ("very often"). Some items are reverse scored. Responses are summed to yield a total score (range 0-56), with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months (mid-point), and 6 months (follow-up)

  3. The Child Adjustment & Parent Efficacy Scale, Total Intensity subscale

    The Child Adjustment \& Parent Efficacy Scale, Total Intensity subscale is a 27-item measure of child behavior and emotional problems. Item responses are rated on a 4-point scale, ranging from 0 ("Not true of my child at all") to 3 ("True of my child very much"/"Most of the time"). Twenty-four items are summed to yield a Behavior Problems score (range 0-72), and three items are summed to yield an Emotional Problems score (range 0-9). Behavioral and Emotional Problems scores can be summed for a Total Intensity score (range 0-81). Higher scores indicate a higher level of problems.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months (mid-point), and 6 months (follow-up)

  4. The Child Adjustment & Parent Efficacy Scale, Parenting Efficacy subscale

    The Child Adjustment \& Parent Efficacy Scale, Parenting Efficacy subscale is a 19-item measure of parental self-efficacy. Item responses are rated on a 10-point scale, with responses ranging from 1 ("Certain I can't do it") to 10 ("Certain I can do it"). Items are summed to yield a total efficacy score, with higher scores indicating higher self-efficacy.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months (mid-point), and 6 months (follow-up)

  5. Change in Parenting Sense of Competence Scale

    The Parenting Sense of Competence Scale is a 17-item questionnaire that measures overall parenting satisfaction and competence. Items are measured on a 6-point scale, with responses ranging from 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 6 ("Strongly agree"). Some items are reverse scored. Items are summed to yield two subscales: parental satisfaction and parental self-efficacy. Higher scores indicate higher levels of parental satisfaction and parental self-efficacy.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months (mid-point), and 6 months (follow-up)

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Change in Parenting Behaviors and Dimensions Questionnaire

    The Parenting Behaviors and Dimensions Questionnaire is a 33-item measure of contemporary parenting behavior that measures six core dimensions of parenting: Emotional Warmth, Punitive Discipline, Anxious Intrusiveness, Autonomy Support, Permissive Discipline, and Democratic Discipline. Items are rated on a 6-point scale ranging from 1 ("Never") to 7 ("Always"). Higher scores indicate higher levels of the parenting dimension.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months (mid-point), and 6 months (follow-up)

  2. Change in child behavior

    The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire is a 25-item questionnaire that assesses child behavior. Items are rated on a 3-point scale and responses range from 0 ("Not true") to 2 ("Certainly true"). Some items are reverse scored. Items are summed to yield 5 subscales: Emotional Problems, Conduct Problems, Hyperactivity, Peer Problems, and Prosocial. A total score is calculated using the sum of all the subscales, except Prosocial. Higher scores in each subscale and the total score indicate more child behavior problems.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months (mid-point), and 6 months (follow-up)

  3. Change in child self-regulation

    A 5-minute caregiver-child behavioral observation will be recorded and subsequently coded by two trained coordinators and the PI using is the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System Comprehensive Manual for Research and Training 4th edition (DPICS-IV).91 The observation will involve a free-play period and a caregiver-directed clean-up from the play activity. The recording will be coded for caregiver positive statements (acknowledgment, description, unlabeled praise, labeled praise, reflection), statements to avoid (questions, indirect commands, negative talk), and direct commands. Child compliance, non-compliance, and instances where the child did not have the opportunity to comply with caregiver commands are also coded.

    Measured: Baseline and 3 months

  4. Number of children experiencing placement change due to child behavior problems.

    The child welfare administrative record will be reviewed to assess number of child participants experiencing a placement change due to child behavior problems.

    Measured: 12 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted14 Dec 2023
  2. Study start2 Feb 2024
  3. Primary completion8 Oct 2026
  4. Study completion30 Aug 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Parallel, two-arm, randomized controlled trial
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
300 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06170047
Sponsor's protocol ID
R01HD105727
Status last verified
Oct 2026
First submitted
27 Nov 2023
Last updated
30 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Consistent with the open science movement and with the directive of clinicaltrials.gov to include a data sharing plan in submissions, we will have the following data sharing policy: we will share with other investigators (1) all individual participant data after deidentification, and (2) study management documents (protocol, statistical analysis plan, consent form, analytic code, data dictionary).

Publications

  • Berry, J. O., & Jones, W. H. (1995). The parental stress scale: Initial psychometric evidence. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 12, 463-472. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265407595123009

  • Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav. 1983 Dec;24(4):385-96. No abstract available.

    PubMed 6668417
  • Gibaud-Wallston J, Wandersman LP. Parenting Sense of Competence Scale. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.; 1978. Accessed October 13, 2021. https://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-

  • Reid CA, Roberts LD, Roberts CM, Piek JP. Towards a model of contemporary parenting: the parenting behaviours and dimensions questionnaire. PLoS One. 2015 Jun 4;10(6):e0114179. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114179. eCollection 2015.

    PubMed 26043107
  • Goodman R. Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2001 Nov;40(11):1337-45. doi: 10.1097/00004583-200111000-00015.

    PubMed 11699809
  • Research and Training DPICS-IV Manual (2013). PCIT. Accessed October 5, 2021. http://www.pcit.org/store/p19/Research_and_Training_DPICS-IV_Manual_%282013%29.html

  • Taichman DB, Sahni P, Pinborg A, Peiperl L, Laine C, James A, Hong ST, Haileamlak A, Gollogly L, Godlee F, Frizelle FA, Florenzano F, Drazen JM, Bauchner H, Baethge C, Backus J. Data Sharing Statements for Clinical Trials: A Requirement of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Ann Intern Med. 2017 Jul 4;167(1):63-65. doi: 10.7326/M17-1028. Epub 2017 Jun 6. No abstract available.

    PubMed 28586790
  • Alina Morawska, Matthew R Sanders, Divna Haslam, Ania Filus & Renee Fletcher (2014) Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale: Development and Initial Validation of a Parent Report Measure, Australian Psychologist, 49:4, 241-252, DOI: 10.1111/ap.12057

  • Beal SJ, Zion C, Mara CA, Patel MA, Bettencourt AF, Breitenstein SM, Vaughn LM, Greiner MV, Ammerman RT. Caregivers on point: a randomized treatment-control prevention trial for foster and kinship caregivers to reduce behavior challenges among children in foster care. Trials. 2024 Oct 10;25(1):670. doi: 10.1186/s13063-024-08524-9.

    PubMed 39390601

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Chicago Parent Program for Foster Care in people with Behavior Problem and Parenting, run by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in Parental Stress Scale (time frame: Baseline, 3 months (mid-point), and 6 months (follow-up)). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06170047, which also lists 9 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 Oct 2026.

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