Topic: Behavioral Problems, Case Management, Foster Care, Parenting
Target Population: Parents
Sector: Community-Based
This program is delivered to foster and kinship parents of children who are 4 to 12 years old and is intended to impact parents and children.
KEEP Standard (KEEP™), formerly known as Keeping Foster and Kinship Parents Trained and Supported, is a community-based foster and kinship parenting program. KEEP is an adaptation of the Treatment Foster Care Oregon* program and is designed to strengthen parenting skills and confidence, improve children's emotional and behavioral difficulties, and enhance placement stability.
*A separate fact sheet is available for this program.
Three internal randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and one external quasi-experimental study have been conducted. Results across studies consistently demonstrate KEEP children experience greater reductions in problem behaviors at posttest compared to control children. One RCT reported that KEEP children had more stable placements over a 2-year follow-up period compared to control children. The RCTs have also found program effects for foster parent retention rates, the proportion of positive reinforcement to discipline, parenting stress, and children making positive exits from the foster care system. However, the quasi-experimental study did not replicate the findings related to the proportion of positive reinforcement to discipline, parenting stress, and children making positive exits. These discrepancies should be interpreted cautiously as they could be due to differences in study design, assessment measures, sample size, or attrition rates.
The KEEP program focuses on developing parenting skills and supporting foster and kinship parents as they practice those skills in their homes. Program content emphasizes the important role foster and kinship parents play in positively impacting the lives of foster children. Sessions can be delivered in-person or online and address the following topics:
Learning occurs through various methods including instruction, group discussions, role-play activities, and video illustrations. Homework assignments involve parents practicing new skills with their children. Facilitators reach out to participants between sessions to learn about current child issues, and they integrate this information into the next session. Participants who miss a session are provided with the session's materials through a home visit.
The KEEP model also includes KEEP SAFE for families with children who are 13 to 18 years old and KEEP Toddler for families with children who are 2 to 3 years old. Please visit https://keepforfamilies.org/implementation/ for more information.
The KEEP program was developed in Oregon and was disseminated in England in 2009. The program is currently being implemented across the United States in California, Illinois, New York, and Oregon, and worldwide in Australia, Denmark, and England.
KEEP is implemented by two facilitators, who possess at least a bachelor's degree. A 2-day foundation training and a 5-day group leader training is required. Please use details in the Contact section for more information.
Considerations for implementing this program include recruiting facilitators and making arrangements for them to complete training, acquiring participant buy-in, locating suitable space to hold sessions, obtaining equipment necessary to show videos and to video record sessions, providing childcare and snacks during sessions, possibly providing incentives to participants for attending sessions, and scheduling home visits with participants who missed a session.
The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
If you are interested in implementing KEEP, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
KEEP consists of 16 weekly 90-minute group sessions. A facilitator contacts each parent during a weekly 10-minute phone call. An 8-week booster curriculum is also available for families who have already completed a 16-week KEEP group.
Costs will vary depending on the size and scope of implementation. Please use details in the Contact section to learn more.
To move KEEP to the Effective category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence at least one external RCT must be conducted that demonstrates sustained, positive outcomes. This study must be conducted independently of the program developer.
The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu
You may also contact KEEP by visiting https://keepforfamilies.org/contact/
https://keepforfamilies.org/; https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/programs/837/show; and Price, Roesch, Walsh, and Landsverk (2015).
Chamberlain, P., Moreland, S., & Reid, K. (1992). Enhanced services and stipends for foster parents: Effects on retention rates and outcomes for children. Child Welfare, 71(5), 387-401.
Chamberlain, P., Price, J., Leve, L. D., Laurent, H., Landsverk, J. A., & Reid, J. B. (2008). Prevention of behavior problems for children in foster care: Outcomes and mediation effects. Prevention Science, 9(1), 17-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-007-0080-7
Greeno, E. J., Lee, B. R., Uretsky, M. C., Moore, J. E., Barth, R. P., & Shaw, T. V. (2016). Effects of a foster parent training intervention on child behavior, caregiver stress, and parenting style. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25(6), 1991-2000. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0357-6
Greeno, E. J., Uretsky, M. C., Lee, B. R., Moore, J. E., Barth, R. P., & Shaw, T. V. (2016). Replication of the KEEP foster and kinship parent training program for youth with externalizing behaviors. Children and Youth Services Review, 61, 75-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.12.003
Price, J. M., Chamberlain, P., Landsverk, J., Reid, J. B., Leve, L. D., & Laurent, H. (2008). Effects of a foster parent training intervention on placement changes of children in foster care. Child Maltreatment, 13(1), 64-75. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559507310612
Price, J. M., Roesch, S., & Burce, C. M. (2019). The effects of the KEEP foster parent training intervention on child externalizing and internalizing problems. Developmental Child Welfare, 1(1), 5-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103218812092
Price, J. M., Roesch, S. C., & Walsh, N. E. (2012). Effectiveness of the KEEP foster parent intervention during an implementation trial. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(12), 2487-2494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.09.010
Price, J. M., Roesch, S., Walsh, N. E., & Landsverk, J. (2015). Effects of the KEEP foster parent intervention on child and sibling behavior problems and parental stress during a randomized implementation trial. Prevention Science, 16(5), 685-695. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-014-0532-9
Buchanan, R., Chamberlain, P., Price, J. M., & Sprengelmeyer, P. (2013). Examining the equivalence of fidelity over two generations of KEEP implementation: A preliminary analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(1), 188-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.10.002
Chamberlain, P., Feldman, S. W., Wulczyn, F., Saldana, L., & Forgatch, M. (2016). Implementation and evaluation of linked parenting models in a large urban child welfare system. Child Abuse & Neglect, 53, 27-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.09.013
Chamberlain, P., Price, J., Reid, J., & Landsverk, J. (2008). Cascading implementation of a foster and kinship parent intervention. Child Welfare, 87(5), 27-48.
DeGarmo, D. S., Chamberlain, P., Leve, L. D., & Price, J. (2009). Foster parent intervention engagement moderating child behavior problems and placement disruption. Research on Social Work Practice, 19(4), 423-433. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731508329407
Goldhaber-Fiebert, J. D., Bailey, S. L., Hurlburt, M. S., Zhang, J., Snowden, L. R., Wulczyn, F., ... Horwitz, S. M. (2012). Evaluating child welfare policies with decision-analytic simulation models. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 39(6), 466-477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-011-0370-z
Price, J. M., Chamberlain, P., Landsverk, J., & Reid, J. (2009). KEEP foster-parent training intervention: Model description and effectiveness. Child & Family Social Work, 14(2), 233-242. https://doi.org:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00627.x/
Roberts, R., Glynn, G., & Waterman, C. (2016). ‘We know it works but does it last?’ the implementation of the KEEP foster and kinship carer training programme in England. Adoption & Fostering, 40(3), 247-263. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308575916657956
Salisbury, M. R., Roos, L. E., Horn, S. R., Peake, S. J., & Fisher, P. A. (2022). The effectiveness of KEEP for families of children with developmental delays: Integrating FIND video coaching into parent management Training—Oregon model: A randomized trial. Prevention Science, 23(6), 1029-1040. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-022-01344-w
