Strategies for Family Engagement in Evidence-Based Programmes: A Meta-Synthesis of Systematic Reviews from a Social Casework Approach

Abstract

This paper explores the role of social work practice in youth risk prevention through evidence-based interventions, such as the Strengthening Families Programme. It begins by analysing the aetiology of social work practice in prevention and the theories that aim to explain social work practice as one of the most important disciplines for meeting the skill development requirements of risk prevention. Research has shown that evidence-based interventions applied at the family level can delay the onset of substance use. Various studies have backed working with these kinds of systems to ensure the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing substance abuse; however, family participation has also been shown to be one of the disadvantages of this kind of intervention. For this reason, the main goal of the present research is to identify the most effective strategies for engaging families in the context of social casework. We present a meta-synthesis of two systematic exploratory reviews of scholarly articles concerning family involvement, adherence, and findings that lead to achieving coupling. We discuss the family factors that social workers should consider in order to ensure that different members of family systems commit to building supportive relationships.