A stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial of a Behavioural Science Toolkit to promote Engagement by socially deprived families in local authority delivered or commissioned parenting programmes suitable for school-age children (4-18 years)

Research question Does providing local authorities (LAs) with access to the BeST Engage toolkit result in greater engagement in parenting programmes by socially disadvantaged parents of school-aged children? Background If people engage, parenting programmes produce positive impacts in the short, medium, and longer term for both parents’ and children’s wellbeing and children’s behavioural outcomes. Socially deprived/vulnerable families are most in need of parenting programmes due to poverty and disadvantage making it harder to provide optimal parenting, but they are the least likely to engage. Behavioural science provides an evidence-based approach to address uptake of parenting programmes. Drawing from our previous work in which we promoted service uptake in under-served communities, we have developed the Behavioural Science Toolkit for Engagement (BeST Engage) which addresses the common barriers to engagement with local authorities’ (LAs) family services. Aims and objectives Our aim is to: i) examine whether BeST Engage improves uptake of and retention in parenting programmes (Triple P, Solihull Approach and EPEC) in socially deprived parents of school-aged children, ii) explore how BeST Engage is implemented by local authority staff, and iii) how it is received by parents. Methods There are four work packages (WPs): WP1 - Work with stakeholders to refine the BeST Engage toolkit to ensure that it is fit for purpose and enables resources to be developed with fidelity. WP2 - Stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial of BeST Engage, comparing the effectiveness of resources developed during a ‘business as usual’ control period with those developed in the intervention period with use of BeST Engage. LAs will gain access to the toolkit at different times depending on random allocation to one of 3 sequences. WP3 - Implementation and process evaluation, exploring parental satisfaction with the parenting programmes through a survey and interviews, and fidelity and satisfaction with the toolkit via interviews with LA users. WP4 - Health economics evaluation of the longer-term costs and benefits of the intervention using a microsimulation model to estimate the lifetime impacts of engagement with the programmes. All aspects of the programme will be informed by PPI input (where PPI participants are LA users of the intervention). Timelines for delivery Starting in October 2025, the first 6 months of the project will be spent refining the BeST Engage toolkit (WP1) and preparing for the trial (WP2) by recruiting LAs. The trial will run from March 2026 alongside the implementation and process evaluation (WP3) and the health economics evaluation (WP4). The whole project lasts 33 months. Anticipated impact and dissemination The positive impacts on LA staff will be greater knowledge and skills in behavioural science. Increased uptake of parenting programmes by socially deprived parents should reduce inequalities. Families who take up the parenting programmes will likely experience positive medium- and longer-term impacts on health wellbeing. Dissemination methods will include a bespoke project website highlighting LA case studies of BeST Engage implementation and offering free logins to access the toolkit. Controlled access will enable ongoing monitoring of impact, and the potential to create a community of practice. We will also deliver a webinar, conference presentations, papers in peer-reviewed journals, and a lay summary.