se issues. Given that there is a readily apparent need for counseling and social work intervention targeting at risk parents, children and communities, the problem addressed herein focuses on the creation of a community-based counseling and educational program that will facilitate improvements in the quality of family life for participants and their offspring. Wolin (1999) pointed out that such programming, oriented toward the enhancement of existing strengths exhibited by the client, an empower clients for positive change. Developing such a program is incumbent upon social work professionals working with at-risk clients.
The literature suggests that the development of social support interventions is positively linked to the amelioration of a number of presenting problems ranging from cancer to loneliness, weight loss, substance abuse, deficient parenting skills, and preparation for childbirth (Hogan, Linden, & Najarian, 2002). Community-based interventions are regarded as particularly important in that such interventions help to develop the local support networks that parents, children, and entire families require in order to overcome challenges implicit in the environment or linked to such persistent problems as poverty, unemployment, and at-risk status.
The purpose of the study, positioned in the background described above, is to answer a set of research questions that are relevant to the kind of counseling and parenting education enhancement program that is likely to meet the needs of an at-risk population of individuals and families that are located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. These questions are:
What kinds of skill, education, and training
programs are associated with improvements in parent-
child relationships and parenting skills?
What types of programs serve at-risk parents and their
To what extent are such programs proven to be
effective in enhancing family relationships an...