Connecting Families

Launched by QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY · Oct 12, 2021

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The "Connecting Families" clinical trial is studying how a Community Support Worker can help families living in poverty improve their overall health and well-being. Many families with young children struggle to make ends meet, which can lead to stress for parents and health issues for their kids. This trial aims to see if having a Community Support Worker assist families in navigating social services—like applying for benefits and doing taxes—can help increase family income, reduce parenting stress, and improve children's health. The study will take place in Toronto and Kingston, where families will be supported in accessing the resources they need.

To participate in this trial, parents must have a child under three years old who visits a primary care doctor and answer "yes" to the question about struggling financially. Families will only be able to enroll one child, specifically the youngest eligible one. It's important to note that families receiving help from other social services or those with certain medical conditions in their child cannot participate. Participants can expect to work with a Community Support Worker who will guide them through the process of accessing benefits and support, with the hope of making a positive difference in their lives.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Parents of children (younger than 3 years) attending a regularly scheduled primary care visit.
• • Parents respond affirmatively to the question "Do you ever have difficulty making ends meet at the end of the month?"
• • Informed parental consent. Only one child will be enrolled per family. For families with more than one child, we will enroll the youngest eligible child, since literature suggests that impact of reducing family stress may be greater at younger ages; for multiple births, one child will be randomly selected for inclusion.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Parents without legal status in Canada, as they are not eligible for many Canadian social programs.
• • 2. Families who are receiving system navigation support, such as from a social worker or public health nurse, or who have received system navigation support within one year prior to enrolment.
• • 3. Child with a previously diagnosed developmental disorder, genetic, chromosomal or syndromic condition.
• • 4. Child born prematurely (gestational age less than 32 weeks).