Swedish parents' satisfaction and experience of facilitators and barriers with Family Check-up: A mixed methods study

Family Check-up (FCU) was introduced in Sweden more than a decade ago. Little is known about what parents experience as FCU's key mechanisms leading to changes in parenting. The aim of this study was to investigate Swedish parents' satisfaction with FCU, and their experiences of facilitators and barriers for making changes in their parenting. A mixed methods approach was employed using a parent satisfaction questionnaire (n = 77) and focus groups (n = 15). General satisfaction with FCU was adequate, with an average rating of 4 on a five-point scale (range 3.1-4.6). The analysis of quantitative and qualitative data resulted in eight themes representing facilitators and four themes representing barriers, organized into three categories: (1) access and engagement; (2) therapeutic process; and (3) program components. Ease of access to FCU facilitated initial engagement. Individual tailoring and access to FCU during different phases of change facilitated sustained engagement and change. Therapeutic process facilitators were a meaningful, supportive relationship with the provider, psychological benefits for parents and benefits for the whole family. Program components that facilitated change in parenting were new learning of parenting strategies and use of helpful techniques such as videotaping and home practice. Negative experiences with service systems prior to starting FCU, parent psychological barriers, and parent-provider mismatch were described as potential barriers. Some parents desired other program formats that were not offered, and some felt that new learning was insufficient to improve child behavior. Understanding the parent perspective can contribute to successful future work with implementing FCU.