Lifestart – An RCT Evaluation

This randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the impact of the Lifestart parenting initiative, a five-year home visiting programme, on parent and child outcomes. A qualitative process evaluation aimed to explore programme delivery and parent and child outcomes in more depth. 424 parents and children participated in the RCT. The intervention group received Lifestart for five years (2008-2014); the control group did not. Parent and child outcomes were measured at pre-test (child age less than 12 months), mid-point (age 3) and post-test (age 5). 34 Lifestart personnel took part in focus groups. Eleven parents from the trial were interviewed at two time points. Compared to the control group, parents who received the Lifestart programme reported reduced parenting related stress (Hedges’ g=-.220, p=.045), increased knowledge of their child’s development (Hedges’ g=.277, p=.016) and improved confidence in their parenting role (Hedges’ g=.213, p=.047). There was no evidence of change in parents’ embeddedness in the community. Four of the five child outcomes showed small positive change for children who took part in the programme. These changes were not statistically significant. The trial provides clear evidence that this monthly home visiting programme works as intended and parents who receive Lifestart report important, measurable improvements in their parental role and wellbeing namely: reduced parenting related stress, increased knowledge of their child’s development, and improved confidence in their parenting role. These changes are consistent with the hypothesised pathway of change depicted in the Lifestart logic model and supported by the findings from the process evaluation.