Mawhinney, B.; Fraser, J.A. Engagement and Retention of Families in Universal Australian Nurse-Home-Visiting Services: A Mixed-Methods Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2023, 20, 6472.
Mawhinney, B.; Fraser, J.A. Engagement and Retention of Families in Universal Australian Nurse-Home-Visiting Services: A Mixed-Methods Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 6472.
Mawhinney, B.; Fraser, J.A. Engagement and Retention of Families in Universal Australian Nurse-Home-Visiting Services: A Mixed-Methods Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2023, 20, 6472.
Mawhinney, B.; Fraser, J.A. Engagement and Retention of Families in Universal Australian Nurse-Home-Visiting Services: A Mixed-Methods Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 6472.
Abstract
Family support is offered to Australian parents of young children using a mix of targeted and universal child and family health services. A feature of the universal services is the ability for nurses to work in partnership with families and to offer flexibility depending on need. This model of progressive universalism relies on the voluntary engagement of families, including families with complex needs. In this study, the capacity to engage and retain families, including those at risk for child maltreatment and family violence, was examined. Child and Family Health Nurses (n=129) participated in a pragmatic, multilevel mixed-methods study using the McCurdy and Daro (2001) Integrated Theory of Parent Involvement. A questionnaire was used in the first phase of the study to collect the quantitative data. Focus groups were then held with 27 participants recruited from phase one. Both homogeneous and heterogenous practices identified from the questionnaire were the focus of the discussions. Three phases of practice were identified and described: enrolment, retention and conclusion of the nurse-parent relationship and are presented and discussed in this paper. The retention of families with complex needs relies on flexible, advanced, and multidimensional nursing practices.
Keywords
Nursing practice; engagement; retention; multilevel mixed methods; child and maternal health; child and family health services; progressive universalism; nurse home visiting; universal health services; nurse-parent relationship; families with complex needs; child maltreatment
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Nursing
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.