Understanding the effects of a family preservation program for parents with intellectual disability

PROJECT SUMMARY Children of parents with intellectual disabilities (ID) are disproportionately represented in child welfare settings. They experience higher rates of foster care placement and termination of parental rights compared to children of parents without ID. Despite research documenting negative trajectories and outcomes for children of parents with ID, there is limited research focused on child welfare interventions that are effective in preventing child maltreatment in this population. Our long-term goal is to identify effective interventions to reduce child maltreatment in families with parents with ID and improve long-term health and social opportunities for children. The overall objective in this application is to determine the degree to which Project IMPACT, a family preservation program designed to meet the specific needs of parents with ID who have child welfare involvement, is effective at reducing foster care placement. The central hypothesis is that Project IMPACT will be effective at reducing foster care placement for participating families. The hypothesis has been formulated based upon preliminary studies completed by the investigators in 2019. The rationale for this project is that evidence is needed to determine the degree to which this innovative program is effective at preventing child maltreatment and, subsequently, foster care placement. If it is determined that this program is efficacious, it will be the first effective program developed and implemented in the U.S. designed for this high-risk population. Expected outcomes include findings that can be used to support program replication, additional rigorous study, and submissions to evidence-based clearinghouses including those supported by the Family First Prevention Services Act. Aim 1 will assess the degree to which participation in Project IMPACT is effective at reducing foster care placement for families with child welfare involvement in which a parent has ID compared to families in which a parent has ID and are engaged in a non-specialized family preservation program. Aim 2 will assess the degree to which participation in Project IMPACT is effective at reducing foster care placement for families with child welfare involvement in which a parent has ID compared to families in which a parent has ID and are not engaged in any family preservation program. This research will use propensity score analysis to draw causal inference between program participation and foster care placement in the year after termination from the program. Data for the treated group will come from Project IMPACT clinical data records for clients beginning service between 2006 and 2018; the matched untreated samples will be drawn from the restricted National Child Abuse and Neglect Data Systems Child Files in the same years. The proposed study is innovative because it will be the first to determine the efficacy of a program designed for parents with ID with child welfare involvement. The proposed project is significant because children of parents with ID are at particularly high-risk for disruptive child welfare trajectories and outcomes.