Research on Social Work Practice, Ahead of Print.
Objective: Kunjing children are children in need. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot trial to promote the self-recognition, self-efficacy, and confidence of kunjing children without sufficient parental care (KCw/oSPC) in Mainland China. Method This intervention was a randomized controlled trial (RCT), 57 KCw/oSPC were recruited and allocated to treatment (n = 24) and waiting group (n = 33) randomly. Participants in treatment group received group-based services, while waiting group didn’t receive any services in this trial period. We assessed participants’ self-recognition, self-efficacy, and confidence in both groups during the pre- and post-treatment periods. Results: Group comparison results suggested that the group-based intervention was effective to promote the self-recognition, self-efficacy, and confidence of KCw/oSPC, with a large effect size as Cohen’s d values suggested. Conclusion: This intervention was essential for KCw/oSPC in practice. Suggestions were provided to inform social work practice, involving integrating services, usage of group-based intervention module, and services settings.