Family Engagement In Research and Practice: A Case Study of Ohio’s Parent and Family Advisory Committee

Background and Purpose

Family Support through Primary Prevention (FSPP) demonstration projects were designed to advance prevention‑oriented, cross‑sector systems that strengthen child and family well‑being while reducing unnecessary system involvement. Consistent with calls for inclusive, participatory approaches and emerging evidence on parent peer advocacy, authentic family engagement was intentionally positioned as a core strategy for systems change. However, limited empirical work describes how families can be meaningfully engaged in evaluation and decision‑making roles over time. This case study examines the sustained engagement of a Parent and Family Advisory Committee (PFAC) in the development, implementation, and evaluation of a FSPP demonstration site.

Methods

This qualitative case study draws on three years of observation of a PFAC embedded within a FSPP demonstration project. The advisory committee consisted of 11 parents and caregivers with lived experience in navigating child‑ and family‑serving systems. Data sources included structured observations of monthly advisory committee meetings, biannual longitudinal focus groups, participatory training activities focused on research and evaluation, and the development of a measure of family well-being and exit interviews. The evaluation team documented caregiver roles, contributions, and relational processes, compiling narrative summaries to characterize how family engagement was operationalized across phases of systems development and evaluation.

Results

Findings illustrate multiple pathways through which authentic family engagement was realized. Advisory committee members identified service access barriers and unmet needs, informed qualitative data collection tools, and participated in evaluating the committee’s role over the life of the project. Longitudinal focus group data captured caregivers’ evolving perceptions of family well‑being, advocacy, and system navigation, as well as their experiences of shared decision‑making with evaluators and administrators. Participants emphasized the importance of relational trust, adequate compensation and logistical support, and seeing their recommendations translated into concrete programmatic changes. Engagement informed refinement of prevention services in two counties and generated recommendations for sustainability of both the services and the advisory committee model.

Conclusions and Implications

This case study demonstrates that parent and family advisory committees can function as sustained, system‑embedded mechanisms for prevention‑oriented change when engagement is intentional, adequately resourced, and grounded in equity. Authentic family engagement strengthened evaluation rigor and ensured that prevention services reflected families’ lived realities. The case study findings have implications for social work research, evaluation practice, and policy by highlighting the conditions necessary for meaningful family participation in systems change efforts.