Programs

Notes:

Type of services provided:

Within 24 hours of referral, participating families receive services in the home from therapists. Services include cognitive behavioral treatment, motivation interviewing, social skills, parent training, social support services (examples include assistance with transportation, budgeting, household maintenance and repair), extensive interagency treatment planning and family advocacy within the community context. The program engages families by delivering services in their natural environment at times when they are most receptive to learning and enlisting them as partners in assessment, goal setting, and treatment planning. Reunification cases often require activities related to reintegrating the child into the home and the community such as enrolling a child in school or helping a child connect with clubs, sports and other community groups.

Program setting:

Adoptive home, birth family home, kinship care home

Length of program/number of sessions:

Three to five sessions weekly for 4 to 6 weeks, and two aftercare booster sessions in the six months following referral. Families typically receive 40 or more hours of face to face contact during the intervention.

Type(s) of trauma/concerns addressed:

This program is targeted to families with one or more children who are imminent risk of out-of-home placement or have been placed out of the home and need intensive services to reunify with the family. These families are usually experiencing problems such as child abuse and neglect, family violence, juvenile delinquency, mental illness and/or substance abuse.

Symptoms addressed:

Family conflict and violence, poor parenting skills, depression, aggression/anger, substance abuse, child abuse and neglect.

Education level of providers:

Typically master’s level therapists.

Additional information:

None

Unique/Innovative Characteristics:

This intervention provides intensive in-home services to meet the needs of families at high risk for out-of home child placement or have a child that has been placed in out-of-home care.

Date Added/Updated:

1/18/18

Population Adaptations:

Age range of children served:

Birth to 18 years old

Are parent/adult caregiver(s) included in intervention?

Yes

Ethnic/racial and other groups served:

Multiple: groups served reflect the population served by the public agency (child welfare, juvenile justice, etc.) making referrals. Varies depending on the site location.

Specific cultural adaptations:

None indicated.

Languages that service/resource is available:

Multiple languages based on the needs of the population in each site and available staff capacity.

Foundation:

Goals of the program/services:

• Reduce child abuse and neglect
• Reduce family conflict
• Reduce child behavior problems
• Improve child and parent wellbeing
• Teach families the skills they need to prevent placement or successfully reunify with their children

Evaluation Studies:

Has there been any evaluation?

Yes

Key evaluation results:

In a randomized controlled study, families were selected from foster care caseloads to receive Homebuilders type intensive services or routine reunification services as part of an overall out-of-home care plan (Fraser et al, 1996). In families receiving Homebuilders, 96.5% of the children returned home by the 12-month follow-up assessment compared with 52.9% of the children in the control group.

In a study by Kirk and Griffith (2004), children who received intensive family preservation services (Homebuilders model) in 51 of 100 counties in North Carolina were compared with similar children in the same counties that did not receive intensive services. Families in the comparison group received typical agency services. Children in the intervention group were 21% less likely to experience a placement within 12 months compared to the comparison group.

In a randomized trial by Evans and colleagues (2003), families presenting at emergency rooms were randomized to three different interventions: Homebuilders model, an enhanced version of Homebuilders (called Enhanced Home-Based Crisis Intervention) or Crisis Case Management (a less intensive model that did not include clinical treatment services at home). Children in the intervention groups receiving more intensive services showed statistically significant gains in family cohesiveness.

Is there an evaluation currently in progress or planned?

Not indicated at this time.

Publications about the program:

Fraser MW, Walton E, Lewis RE, Pecora PJ, Walton WK. An experiment in family reunification: Correlates of outcomes at one-year follow-up. Children and Youth Services Review. 1996; 18(4/5):335-361.

Evans ME, Boothroyd RA, Armstrong MI, Greenbaum PE, Brown EC, Kuppinger AD. An experimental study of the effectiveness of in-home crisis services for children and their families: Program Outcomes. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. 2003; 11(2):92-102.

Kirk RS, Griffith DP. Intensive family preservation services: Demonstrating placement prevention using event history analysis. Social Work Research. 2004; 28(1):5-18.

Rated/Reviewed by Evidence Based Registries:

NREPP: SAMSHA’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
Washington State Institute for Public Policy
US Department of Justice CrimeSOLUTIONS.gov

Training Contact:

None specified

Training Notes:

Training manuals/protocols:

Yes

Availability of Training:

Yes

Languages that training/resource is available:

Not specified