iLook Out for Child Abuse: An Innovative Learning Module for Childcare Providers

NCT03185728 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: IRB-4740R01HD088448-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 2,059
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This five-year study aims to improve childcare provider (CCP) reporting of suspected child abuse by means of an online learning module, iLook Out for Child Abuse. Using an interactive, video-based story-line (along with follow-up activities), iLookOut engages CCPs emotionally and intellectually to take the first step in addressing the epidemic of child abuse -which in the U.S. claims \>680,000 confirmed victims annually. The consequences of child abuse can be devastating and long-lasting. The purpose of this study is to establish an evidence-based intervention that can help those who care for young children recognize and report suspected child abuse before irreparable harm occurs.

Conditions

Child Abuse

Keywords

Child Abuse; Mandated Reporting; Online Learning; Child Protection; GAMIFICATION; Early Childhood Education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Percentage of "High Quality" reports of suspected child abuse submitted to the State of Maine by childcare providers

  Percentage of childcare provider reports (of suspected abuse) to the state of Maine that result in either i) child abuse being confirmed, or ii) social services being recommended for the child/family who was reported. We will use Maine's Office of Child and Family Services' criteria for determining what counts as "confirmed child abuse" as well as what counts as a "recommended social service."

  48 months

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Percentage of reports of suspected child abuse submitted to the State of Maine by childcare providers that are "Low Quality"

  48 months

• Financial costs (in U.S. dollars) associated with responding to "Low Quality" reports of suspected abuse that are submitted to the State of Maine by childcare providers

  48 months

Study Arms (3)

iLookOut

EXPERIMENTAL

Online, interactive learning program developed by study team.

Other: iLook Out for Child Abuse

Standard

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Online mandated reporter training developed by the state of Maine during Y1, then recruited to complete iLookOut during Y2 and Y3.

Other: iLook Out for Child Abuse

Control

NO INTERVENTION

No active recruitment or incentivizing of participants to complete any training on mandated reporting during Y1 and Y2, then recruited to complete iLookOut during Y3.

Interventions

iLook Out for Child Abuse OTHER

Online, interactive educational intervention that uses a video-based story-line and "gamification" to teach childcare providers about child abuse and mandated reporting.

Also known as: iLookOut

Standard; iLookOut

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Works or volunteers at a childcare facility in Maine (i.e., home-based childcare, childcare center, Head Start facility, nursery school, pre-school)
• years of age or older

You may not qualify if:

• Does not work or volunteer at a childcare facility in Maine
• Under 18 years of age

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Milton S. Hershey Medical Center: lead
• University of Oklahoma: collaborator
• Penn State University: collaborator
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Penn State College of Medicine

Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Walsh K, Eggins E, Hine L, Mathews B, Kenny MC, Howard S, Ayling N, Dallaston E, Pink E, Vagenas D. Child protection training for professionals to improve reporting of child abuse and neglect. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Jul 5;7(7):CD011775. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011775.pub2.

  PMID: 35788913 DERIVED

Study Officials

• Benjamin H Levi, MD PhD

  Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center / Penn State College of Medicine

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor, Department of Humanities and Pediatrics

Model Details: Childcare sites will be randomized to one of 3 study arms, and we will use a stepped wedge design to recruit patients to complete one of two interventions. During the first year of implementation, 1/3 of participants will not be contacted (Control arm). In the other 2 arms, participants will be recruited to complete either the iLookOut intervention or the Standard online mandated reporter training. The next year, participants in the Standard arm will then be asked to complete the iLookOut intervention, and participants in the Control arm will, again, not be incentivized to complete any training. In the final year, participants in the Control arm will be recruited to complete the iLookOut intervention.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 20, 2017
• First Posted: June 14, 2017
• Study Start: October 3, 2017
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2021
• Study Completion: February 1, 2022
• Last Updated: January 11, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)