Feasibility and promise of community providers implementing home-based parent-child interaction therapy for families investigated for child abuse: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: Despite evidence supporting Parent-Child Interaction Therapy's (PCIT) effectiveness for maltreatment prevention, its integration in child welfare services (CWS) has been challenging.

Objective: Using a pilot randomized controlled trial design, we evaluated the (1) feasibility of training therapists from CWS providers to implement home-based PCIT (2) feasibility of retaining parent-child dyads at-risk for child abuse in voluntary PCIT services, and (3) promise of PCIT for improving parenting skills.

Participants And Setting: Between 2015-2017, 23 therapists from CWS providers and 55 caregiver-child dyads who were determined to be at moderate-to-high risk for physical and/or emotional abuse, remained in the same home, and were referred for voluntary parenting services following a child protective investigation participated.