PAX Tools for Human Services

PAX Tools utilizes Evidence-based Kernels for use with children in the home or community. PAX Tools for Human Services is a collection of behavioral strategies for professionals who work with youth. These strategies promote the development of self-regulation, reduce conflict, and improve relationships. Each of the individual PAX Tools derives from strategies with a strong evidence base and other well-researched behaviorism concepts. These Kernels, or irreducible units of behavioral change, come at low or no cost, produce immediate benefits, meet or solve competing demands, provide simple promotion, and alter risk and protective factors.

PAX Tools for Human Services provides a unified approach for organizations and professionals across systems of care. This holistic model ensures stakeholders within the systems of care, including caregivers, support children with a consistent approach. Professionals who are trained in PAX Tools for Human Services through PAXIS Institute might serve in one of the following fields: behavioral health, case management, child life, child welfare, juvenile justice, peer support, social work, and wraparound.

PAXIS Institute develops, implements, and supports tested and proven solution-focused strategies with real-world outcomes for children and the adults who care for them in partnership with communities to reduce historical disparities and improve lifetime outcomes to create population-level peace, productivity, health, and happiness.

The mission of the PAX Tools for Human Services program is to empower individuals and communities to create a more nurturing environment with universal access to research-based prevention science in order to improve the well-being and lifetime outcomes of people from all walks of life around the world.

To evaluate the impact of the 2021 Ohio Boys and Girls Club PAX Tools for Human Services implementation, a post-training effectiveness survey was conducted with 345 participants at 13 sites. This measure focused on key intervention constructs: initial participant strategy comprehension, perception of strategy appropriateness and utility, intent to implement, and confidence to implement. Additionally, the survey explored training quality indicators: trainer effectiveness and platform effectiveness. These constructs captured overall initial training efficacy yet established intervention exemplars for mid-implementation comparison. Factor analyzed questions from the Professional Quality of Life Scale and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were included in Post-training and Mid-implementation surveys.

Post-training, 80% of respondents reported strategy utility as an initial program strength with 71% intending to implement. 86% of respondents indicated a high sense of confidence in ability to implement concluding training suggesting high quality of training and overall clarity of program curriculum design. Finally, in this pre-implementation phase, 9% of respondents indicated stress on the job, experienced as feeling “on edge” related to their helping role.

Mid-implementation surveys gauged participants’ impression, progress, and use of their new skills and strategies. The mid-implementation survey captured use of the interventions in the field, helped confirm the effectiveness of training and provided indications as to the sustainability of the intervention.

Respondents generally retained a sense of confidence after implementation with mid to high range responses at 79%, attributing that self-assurance in working with children to PAX Tools for Human Services training. Overall, 97% of respondents in mid to high range responses indicated that PAX Tools worked with the children they served since training. Additionally, respondents experienced a reduction in work related stress (“feeling on edge”) from helping, down to 7%.