Can online parent education meet the needs of the courts and improve the well-being of children? The critical roles of goal, program, and evidence alignment

Abstract

Parent education in family courts can significantly impact children's well-being after divorce if programs are (1) widely accessible, (2) acceptable to parents, (3) feasible to implement by courts, and (4) have evidence of effectiveness in improving key outcomes for children. In light of recently raised concerns about whether court-ordered/court-mandated parent education is justified, to it is critical to identify effective parent education programs. Online parent education programs have the potential to be widely accessible, acceptable to parents and courts, and effectively promote children's well-being. However, few effective online parent education programs are being widely adopted by family courts. There is some controversy about whether online parent education meets the needs of family courts in being cost-effective programs that offer ways to hold parents accountable for their participation. We articulate the wide array of goals for parent education programs and present a framework to identify and select programs that meet specific goals. We discuss access, cost, evidence of effectiveness, acceptability, credibility, and compliance tracking. We highlight two online parent education programs to illustrate differences in contexts and goals and to show that online programs have great potential to be effective in accomplishing goals valued by the courts.