Abstract
Objectives
This study investigated whether the supervisory alliance between professionals and supervisors contributes to strong client-professional alliances and positive outcomes of home-based parenting support provided by youth care organizations.
Methods
Multi-informant self-report supervisory alliance, alliance, and outcome data from 124 parents (M age = 39.83 years, SD = 6.98), professionals (n = 84, M age = 43.66 years, SD = 10.46), and supervisors (n = 26, M age = 47.18 years, SD = 8.28) collected early and late in care were analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Results
A stronger professional-reported supervisory alliance was related to a stronger professional-reported alliance early in care (β = 0.27, p < 0.01), and predicted higher levels of parent-reported satisfaction with care (β = 0.19, p < .05; β = 0.25, p < 0.01), and professional-reported satisfaction with care (β = 0.21, p < 0.01). A stronger supervisory alliance reported by supervisors predicted parent-reported improvement in parent functioning (β = 0.26, p < 0.05), and higher levels of professional-reported satisfaction with care (β = 0.19, p < 0.05; β = .14, p < 0.05). Finally, effects of professional-reported supervisory alliance on professional-reported satisfaction with care were mediated through higher levels of professional-reported alliance (β = 0.06, p < 0.05; β = .07, p < 0.05).
Conclusions
A strong supervisory alliance may relate to strong alliances and positive outcomes of home-based parenting support. Future research needs to identify factors that contribute to strong supervisory alliances and explain linkages between the supervisory alliance, the alliance, and outcomes.
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Acknowledgements
We thank all participating parents, professionals, supervisors, and youth care organizations for their contribution and constructive collaboration. We also thank colleagues and students who have assisted in data collection and data entry.
Author Contributions
M.G.: designed and executed the study, collaborated with the data analyses, and wrote the manuscript. M.J.M.H.D.: analyzed the data and collaborated in the writing of the manuscript. BDM: collaborated in the writing and editing of the manuscript. H.M.P. and R.H.J.S.: collaborated with the design and writing of the manuscript. J.V.: collaborated with the execution of the study and writing of the manuscript. M.J.C.H.: collaborated with the design and writing of the manuscript.
Funding
This work was supported by ZonMw (grant number 729101013), participating youth care organizations, province of Noord-Brabant, and HAN University of Applied Sciences. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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The research was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee (Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Radboud University) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Informed consent was obtained from all parents included in the study. Directors of participating organizations provided active consent for their organization to participate in the study, and organized active participation of professionals and supervisors providing home-based parenting support.
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de Greef, M., Delsing, M.J.M.H., McLeod, B.D. et al. Supervisory Alliance: Key to Positive Alliances and Outcomes in Home-based Parenting Support?. J Child Fam Stud 28, 993–1004 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-01317-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-01317-0