Abstract

Infancy is a critical period during which major developmental transformations occur. Early parenting is one of the strongest influences on babies immediate and longer-term outcomes. Transition to parenting can be demanding and stressful for mothers and fathers. Evidence-based parenting programmes targeting early life are less common. This paper reports results from a feasibility study of the Empowering Parents Empowering Communities (EPEC) Baby and Us course, an 8-week universal peer-led parenting programme for new parents living in social disadvantaged communities. Method: A quasi-experimental two phased pilot study assessing the feasibility, impact and acceptability of Baby and Us. Participants (Time 1 n=158, Time 2 n=94) completed standardised self-report measures of parent goal attainment, self-efficacy, knowledge about parenting, mental wellbeing, parental confidence and programme acceptability. Results: Recruiting parents from disadvantaged backgrounds was feasible, parent goals closely matched the aims of the programme, programme completion was high and measurement completion was acceptable, parents rated the course as highly satisfactory and reported significant improvements in parental mental wellbeing, confidence, parenting skills, self-efficacy and goal attainment. Conclusions: These results provide important data to conduct a full scale trial of Baby and Us. Preliminary positive evidence indicates that the programme is highly acceptable to parent participants and may prevent early parenting difficulties, promote parental confidence and mental well-being, and improve parent self-efficacy.