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Parents for Parents (P4P) is a mentoring and education program designed for parents involved in the child welfare system. To participate, parents must have a child who is at risk of removal or has been removed from the home by Child Protective Services. Parents who participate in P4P receive support from other parents (referred to as Parent Allies) who have successfully navigated the child welfare system in the past. Parent Allies connect with parents at the child’s initial placement hearing with the juvenile dependency court and provide ongoing resources and support with the goal of helping the parent navigate the child welfare system. Overall, the P4P program aims to increase the rate of safe and prompt reunifications, stabilize families, increase parents’ hope, and decrease trauma while parents are involved in the child welfare system.
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up – Infant (ABC-I) is designed to help caregivers of children ages 6–24 months who have experienced early adversity. ABC-I aims to promote responsive caregiving to help infants develop secure, organized attachments and self-regulation capabilities. ABC-I is provided by skilled clinicians, called parent coaches. Coaching sessions include in-the-moment and video feedback to foster the caregiver’s abilities to follow the infant’s lead, respond to infant’s distress in nurturing ways, and recognize and reduce frightening behaviors.
The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) is a behavioral intervention that aims to support adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders. The treatment aims to support adolescents’ substance use recovery by encouraging positive family and peer relationships and helping adolescents engage in prosocial activities. A-CRA includes guidelines for three types of sessions: adolescents alone, caregivers alone, and adolescents and caregivers together. In accordance with the adolescent’s needs and self-assessment of happiness in multiple life areas, A-CRA sessions typically focus on increasing engagement in pre-recovery activities, developing problem-solving, communication, and other important skills with the goal of improving life satisfaction and eliminating alcohol and substance use problems. As part of these sessions, clinicians and participants mutually agree on homework assignments to practice and review skill development.
Celebrating Families!TM (CF!) is a program designed for families with children ages 4–18 in which at least one parent has problematic substance use and is at risk of engaging in domestic violence, child abuse, or child neglect. CF! aims to break the cycle of addiction in families, improve participants’ healthy living skills, and increase children’s well-being and functioning. CF! was originally designed to support families in Family Drug Treatment Courts and to increase rates of family reunification but has since expanded to serve families in the community as well. The program seeks to provide a safe, nurturing place for children and parents to explore their feelings and choices and to learn communication and coping skills. The curriculum engages every member of the family and aims to foster the development of healthy and addiction-free individuals. A separate Spanish language manual, Celebrando Familias!, is available. This adaptation contains the same overall structure and format as the English-language version with modifications to examples and content to increase the cultural relevance of the program.
Criando con Amor: Promoviendo Armonía y Superación – Jóvenes (CAPAS-Youth) is a group-based parenting and family functioning intervention adapted from GenerationPMTO – Group, also known as Parenting Through Change (PTC) and formerly known as Parent Management Training – Oregon Model (PMTO®). CAPAS-Youth is a culturally adapted intervention for Spanish-speaking Latino(a) families with children ages 12–15. Adaptations include: (1) Modifying core components of GenerationPMTO – Group for linguistic and cultural appropriateness, (2) Adapting session activities (e.g., role-play practice) to include culturally relevant expressions, and (3) Adding sessions focusing on racism, contextual adversity, discrimination, immigration, cultural conflicts, and adolescent drug use.
The Family Check-Up® model is a brief, strengths-based intervention for families with children ages 2 through 17. The intervention aims to improve parenting skills and family management practices, with the goals of improving a range of emotional, behavioral and academic child outcomes. The Family Check-Up® consists of three main components: (1) an initial interview that involves rapport building and motivational interviewing to explore parental strengths and challenges related to parenting and the family context; (2) an ecological family assessment that includes parent and child questionnaires, a teacher questionnaire for children that are in school, and a videotaped observation of family interactions; and (3) tailored feedback that involves reviewing assessment results and discussing follow-up service options for the family. Follow-up services may include clinical or support services in the community. They may also include the Everyday Parenting program, which is a parenting management program that is typically delivered by the provider.
The Iowa Parent Partner Approach pairs “Parent Partners” with parents whose children have been removed from the home. It also pairs Parent Partners with parents who can only reside with their children under special conditions set by the courts. Parent Partners are parents who were formerly involved with the child welfare system and who have achieved reunification with their children. They are selected based upon their interpersonal skills, successes, and proven ability to overcome obstacles. To be eligible, Parent Partners must have maintained reunification with their children for at least 1 year. Parent Partners mentor eligible families by providing social support, offering guidance on how to navigate the process of reunification, and working with social workers and other professionals to ensure the family is getting needed resources. The goal is to support reunification and reduce recurrence of child maltreatment.
Kinship Interdisciplinary Navigation Technologically-Advanced Model (KIN-TECH™) is a program designed to support kinship caregivers. Kinship caregivers are relatives who care for children that are not biologically their own, such as a grandparent caring for their grandchild. Kinship caregivers who participate in KIN-TECH can access resources through multiple channels. First, each kinship caregiver is connected to a kinship navigator. Kinship navigators are fellow kinship caregivers who have been hired to provide one-on-one peer support and encouragement. They also help to connect kinship caregivers to resources. Additionally, KIN-TECH offers a phone intake line where kinship caregivers can access and be referred to services. Support groups are also available to kinship caregivers, which cover topics such as how to budget family resources, navigate legal issues, and develop healthy relationships with the child. In the enhanced model of KIN-TECH, kinship caregivers have access to a web-based system (One-e-App). This system is designed to assist kinship caregivers with the benefit eligibility and application process.
Parent Connectors is a peer support program for parents of children with emotional or behavioral challenges. Parents are matched with “Parent Connectors” (PCs) who are trained program staff who also have children receiving services for emotional or behavioral challenges. PCs have experience navigating special education systems, partnering with teachers, and identifying community services. PCs make weekly phone calls to parents to (1) provide emotional support by listening to concerns, acknowledging parents’ experiences, and encouraging problem-solving and self-care; (2) provide informational support by sharing relevant information on behavior, development, parenting, coping, and community resources; and (3) promote positive attitudes by encouraging parents to recognize the support of their social networks, believe that they have control over their child’s education and/or counseling, and acknowledge the benefits of engaging with services. PCs receive ongoing weekly support from Parent Connectors Coaches who have supervisory experience working with families in the child mental health field.
Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) aims to prevent and treat moderate to severe substance use and substance use disorders through screening, treatments, and referrals. The SBIRT system coordinates screening and treatment components to identify substance use risk level and direct individuals to appropriate services. A range of providers including physicians, nurses, social workers, and health educators screen youth and adults in a variety of settings, such as primary care offices, emergency rooms, school-based clinics, and senior centers. Providers screen all individuals regardless of an identified disorder or whether the individual is actively seeking services.