169 - Replicating a Peer Recovery Support Program for Parents in the Child Welfare System: Lessons from Program Installation and Early Implementation in Multiple Communities

Abstract Information: Over the past 20 years, parental substance use has been an increasingly prevalent reason for children to enter foster care. In response to the increase in such cases, local, state, and federal agencies responsible for the welfare of children and families have begun investing in peer recovery support services. These services are designed to support parents’ recovery and well-being, improve children’s safety, help prevent foster care entry, and shorten time to permanency for children who do enter foster care. However, there is little publicly available documentation on how to best implement these services and limited evidence of their effectiveness. The multi-site evaluation of the Parent Mentor Program (PMP) includes implementation and impact studies of a longstanding Oregon-grown community-based peer recovery support program for parents with an open child welfare case due to parental substance use. The services are delivered by full-time, paid Parent Mentors who are in recovery from substance use disorder and have lived experience as a parent in the child welfare system. As part of the evaluation design, PMP was adopted and installed in new locations, and study partners worked towards implementation fidelity prior to launching the impact study. Ultimately, the evaluation results will contribute to knowledge about replicating and scaling this peer-led program via an evaluation design that engages those with lived experience, and may contribute to the roster of programs for which state child welfare agencies can be reimbursed by the federal government. This multi-paper presentation shares experiences and lessons from the first stages of program adoption, installation, and initial implementation in new locations outside of Oregon. The first two presentations provide the evaluator’s perspective on the barriers and facilitators of success when standing up a new peer-led program and collaboratively developing a fidelity measurement framework. The final presentation provides the perspective of the program developer and technical assistance provider, an organization that has implemented and refined peer-led services in Oregon for over 15 years. The evaluation is part of a long-term federal effort funded by the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to build evidence for effective programs in child welfare that address substance use and help keep families safe and together. Abt Global is conducting the evaluation in partnership with the PMP developer and technical assistance provider, Morrison Child and Family Services , Portland State University, University of Michigan, and Child Trends.