Exchange Parent Aide Program Overview

 Exchange Parent Aides are trained, professionally supervised individuals (volunteer or paid) who provide supportive and educational in-home services to families at risk of child abuse and neglect.

 Exchange Parent Aide is a program of the National Exchange Club (NEC). The national office is located in Toledo, Ohio and coordinates a national network of 65 Exchange Parent Aide programs in 25 states. Locally, Exchange Parent Aide programs are operated through private, non-profit 501(c)3 organizations that are governed by volunteer boards of directors. A variety of staff and/or volunteers provide the Exchange Parent Aide model and other prevention services (e.g. support groups, parent education) as appropriate to the local community.

A local partnership in Walla Walla was formed with Exchange Club of Walla Walla in 2003 in an effort to reduce child abuse in our own community. Exchange Parent Aide Program has served 225 unduplicated families since 2003.

Exchange Parent Aide Model

The evidenced-based Exchange Parent Aide Model is a family home-visitation model. Parent Aides are trained, professionally supervised individuals (paid and volunteer) who provide supportive and educational, in-home services to families at-risk of child abuse and neglect.

Exchange Parent Aides act as mentors and provide intensive support, information, and modeling of effective parenting -- all in the home of the family. Services are family centered and focus on:

Parental resilience is developed through teaching problem solving skills, modeling effective parenting, providing 24/7 support and referrals to services.  

Knowledge of parenting and child development is encouraged and developed through sharing skills and modeling strategies. Individualized help is provided in the home with the parents’ children.

Social connections are developed and fostered through social support building the individual relationship and connecting the parents to others through group meetings, activities and referrals.

Social-emotional competence of children is developed through strengthening the nurturing capabilities of the family. Interaction of parents with the children is observed and modeling is provided for support of the children’s competence.

Ensuring safety of the children including attention to medical, dental or mental health care needs; safe housing; and freedom from child abuse, neglect and domestic violence. 

The Exchange Parent Aide program has been replicated since 1979, in over 65 communities in more than 25 states and Puerto Rico.  It is utilized in rural, urban, and suburban areas serving diverse populations in a culturally responsive manner.

The Parent Aide relationship occurs through intensive and long term home visitation. Our ultimate goal is to replace patterns of abusive behavior with effective skills for nonviolent parenting. Continuity and

Mentoring parents to build healthy families

consistency of service are key to success. The home visits occur one to two times per week and continue for at least one year. This regularity and frequency reflects best practice standards recognized nationally by parenting and home visitation service models.

Exchange Parent Aide Program Implementation

 Professionally trained and supervised Exchange Parent Aides provide a minimum of weekly home visits to families for an average of 13 months. Families must: 

– Have at least one child age birth through 12 years in the home; services may also be offered prenatally;

– Be considered at-risk for abuse (either through presence of dynamics common in abusive families or the presence of substantiated abuse or neglect);

– Be willing to participate in services.

– Families are served without regard to ethnicity, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, economic status, number of children, or age of the parent(s).

Exchange Parent Aide services include screening, assessment, and planning strategies to address family’s issues and goals through home visitation. Families receiving Exchange Parent Aide services are referred by a variety of community sources, e.g., health departments and medical clinics, self-referrals, schools, Department of Social Services, mental health agencies. Estimated cost of service in Walla Walla is approximately $2400-2800 a year per family, whether paid or volunteer Parent Aides are used.

Research and Evaluation Resources

Exchange Parent Aide is an evidenced-based model based on outcomes from one randomized controlled study, one retrospective study, one comparison study, and two quasi-experimental studies. Families receiving Exchange Parent Aide services for at least six months experience:

– Reduced parental stress, maternal depression and maternal anxiety

– Reduced psychological aggression towards and physical assault on their children

– Greater mastery of parental skills

Additional findings show the impact of fathers when served by Parent Aides and that parents who completed the Exchange Parent Aide program had fewer subsequent, substantiated reports to Child Protective Services (CPS) of child abuse or neglect than those parents who refused to participate or dropped out of the Parent Aide program.

Mentoring parents to build healthy families

Parent Aide Requirements, Roles and Responsibilities:

Complete interview & volunteer application

Commit to visiting a family one hour a week to develop relationship with a parent and family in order to become a part of their natural support system

Attend initial 12 hour training

Serve as a liaison between the family and community service providers in order to best meet family goals

Keep professional staff informed

Maintain Confidentiality

Complete general documentation

Parent Aide Support Network:

Comprehensive 12-Hour Training including the following:

o Orientation to Parent Aide Model and Services

o Overview of Child Abuse and neglect, Mandated Reporting

o Family Dynamics and Positive Parenting

o Boundaries, Ethics, and Cultural competency

o Relationship and Communication skills building

o Home Visitor Safety and Volunteer Policies

Professional staff available weekly as needed for support

Individual monthly supervision

Monthly Group Support which also includes additional training

For more information contact: Stephanie Biegel, Children’s Home Society, (509) 529-2130 or stephanieb@chs-wa.org

Mentoring parents to build healthy families