How are families in Germany doing in 2022? Study protocol of a nationally representative, cross-sectional study of parents with children aged 0-3 years.

BACKGROUND: In order for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) to be effective, data-based information on families' resources, burden and current use of support services for families with young children, as well as on children's health and development is needed. The study Kinder in Deutschland [Children in Germany]-KiD 0-3 2022 aims at providing these data to help us understand families' situation and needs in Germany now, including families' experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: The study will recruit up to 300 pediatricians who will invite parents of children aged up to 48 months to participate in the study during a well-child visit. Parents (goal N = 8,000) will complete an online-questionnaire with their own web-enabled device. Pediatricians will complete a short questionnaire about each participating family. The questionnaires cover family psychosocial burden and resources, child health and development, use of family support services, as well as the families' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data will be analyzed to assess patterns of families´ psychosocial burdens and resources, use of support services for families with young children, and children´s health and development. Concordance between parent and pediatrician report will be assessed and comparisons with the predecessor study of 2015 will be drawn. DISSEMINATION: Findings will be disseminated through scientific conferences, open access peer-reviewed journals, and dissemination channels of the National Centre for Early Prevention. DISCUSSION: The present study will provide parent and pediatrician reports on how families with young children are doing in Germany. These data will be used to inform Germany's early childhood intervention (ECI) program ("Frühe Hilfen") on current needs of families with young children.

Evaluation of a cross-sectoral care intervention for families with psychosocial burden: a study protocol of a controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Family risk factors, e.g. low socioeconomic status or parental mental health disorders, can affect children's health and development. Thus, targeted preventive services for families with psychosocial burden are crucial. The German Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program is a preventive approach that aims to strengthen parent's resources by supportive services. However, research has revealed that only a proportion of the families considered to have substantial risk factors access the ECI program. To increase pediatricians' skills in identifying risk factors, and to improve the cross-sectoral collaboration between relevant professionals and the referral of families to supportive services, the PATH-intervention (Pediatric Attention To Help) was developed. The PATH-intervention includes interprofessional quality circles and a one-day training program for the pediatricians. This study aims to evaluate this complex cross-sectoral care intervention for families with psychosocial burden. METHODS: Using a prospective quasi-experimental, controlled (matched-pair), longitudinal mixed-method design, we will compare families under treatment of pediatricians trained in the PATH-intervention with families under treatment of a control group of pediatricians. Participating families are asked to complete online-surveys. As a primary outcome, we will examine the use of supportive services of the ECI by burdened families. Secondary outcomes are the proportion of correctly identified families with psychosocial burden by the pediatricians, as well as information provision and motivation of the families to use the supportive services. Additionally, the cost-effectiveness ratio will be investigated. In the process evaluation, we will qualitatively explore the acceptance of the PATH-intervention of all involved stakeholders and the treatment fidelity of the trained pediatricians. DISCUSSION: This study will determine whether the PATH-intervention enables the pediatricians to identify and recommend supportive services to burdened families, as well as the families' use of the supportive services of the ECI. Qualitative data will give insight into the acceptance of the intervention from the perspective of all stakeholders and the treatment fidelity. Results of this study could be the starting point for the broader implementation of the PATH-intervention as standard care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): DRKS00023461 (3rd December 2020); WHO UTN: U1111- 260-6575.

[Early childhood intervention from a distance-opportunities and challenges in supporting psychosocially stressed families in the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Frühe Hilfen aus der Distanz ­ Chancen und Herausforderungen bei der Unterstützung psychosozial belasteter Familien in der COVID-19-Pandemie.

As of spring 2020, contact-restricting measures were necessary to contain the incidence of infection with the SARS-CoV­2 virus in Germany. However, these restrictions posed particular challenges to families, especially families in high-stress situations. This paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the life of families and if long-term support in the context of early childhood intervention could be continued. The following analyses are based on qualitative research with psychosocially stressed mothers of young children, two surveys of health professionals who provide long-term support to families in early childhood intervention, and a survey of municipal actors who are responsible for the management and implementation of early childhood intervention in German communities.During the pandemic, families in high-stress conditions report existential fears and general overstrain. Intrafamilial conflicts seem to increase. Home visits in the context of long-term psychosocial support were initially primarily replaced by phone calls, video calls or other forms of "support from a distance." During the course of the pandemic, many professionals have begun conducting home visiting again, but several elements of support from a distance continue to be used as a supplement.Due to the pandemic-related additional burdens on the families who were accompanied by early childhood intervention, the continuation of support was even more important than it already was. Having been tested by necessity during the pandemic, several formats of support from a distance may have the potential to complement the usual assistance provided by health professionals in early childhood intervention and thus contribute to its quality development push.