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Family Development Resources, Inc. * NurturingParenting.com * 1.800.688.5822 What Are Nurturing Programs? Seven Things to Know... There are two different versions of the NSCS that are designed for two different populations of parents you might be working with: • Long Version (LV) The LV version is particularly useful in assessing individuals and family members with a high risk for child maltreatment; who are currently receiving child welfare services for abuse or neglect; who are ordered to attend parenting classes; who have a history of violence towards children and spouses/ partners; or who have come to the attention of social services in need of parenting education. The LV has approximately 80 items that address all six constructs presented above. Different NSCS’s are developed for each nurturing program and may have a different number of items. The information generated from the NSCS-LV is presented on a parenting profile. Responses per construct range from Below Average to Average to Above Average. • Short Version (SV) is ideally suited for average families who are not receiving services for child abuse and neglect, who have not been referred for parenting education, and who have no reportable history of domestic violence. The SV with approximately 50 items is designed primarily for use with low-risk, or average families not receiving or referred for parenting education. The SV provides a parenting profile with scores in three of the six NSCS constructs: Construct A: About My Life; Construct E: My Knowledge of Nurturing Parenting Practices; and Construct F: My utilization of Nurturing Skills. #7 Process Evaluation Measures As parent educators, we want to make sure the parents are learning the knowledge and skills presented in the program. Gathering information during the program to ensure parents are learning is called process evaluation. program. Gathering information during the program to ensure parents are learning is called process evaluation. Process evaluation occurs at the end of each class session. If the parent has not adequately learned the information and skills, the lesson is repeated. There are three process evaluation measures used in the Nurturing Programs. • The Family Nurturing Plan (FNP) is a document the PARENT EDUCATORS USE to measure the ongoing progress the parents are making. A FNP is developed for each family at the beginning of the program. The FNP lists the lessons to be taught; the lesson competencies to be learned; the home practice assignments to be completed between program sessions: and ratings and questions the instructors use to assess how well the parents have learned the information and acquired the new skills. The FNP also becomes a contract between the parent and the Instructor. FNP’s are specific to each different Nurturing Program. • The Family Nurturing Journal (FNJ) is a document the PARENTS USE to monitor their progress in learning the program competencies. Parents know the lesson competencies they are responsible for learning as well as the home practice assignments they are to complete between classes. To monitor their progress, parents keep a weekly journal of the changes happening to them, their children and their family. FNJs are specific to each different Nurturing Program. Individual Session Evaluations Individual Session Evaluations are utilized in group-based programs. Towards the end of each session, parents rate the degree they feel they have learned each of the specific lesson competencies. A rating of 0 means the parent has “not learned the competency at all”; 1 indicates the parent has learned the competency “a little bit”; 2 indicates “pretty good” understanding of the competency; and 3 indicates the parent has a “really good” understanding and grasp of the lesson competency. Concurrentl Concurrently, the instructors are also rating each parent on how well they learned each of the lesson competencies. Ratings by the instructors occur when parents are demonstrating skills with their child (ren) during Family Nurturing Time, and/or how well they do in explaining concepts during class time. 7