The purpose of the present project is to increase the well-being of and improve the permanency outcomes for children affected by methamphetamine or other substance abuse within Missouri’s Southwestern Region by: 1) augmenting the current regional interagency service delivery infrastructure (Project Year 01), and 2) developing a seamless, integrated, family centered service delivery system (Project Year 01-Project Year 05). At the state level, the Missouri Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (MO-ADEC) will be developed to strengthen and expand the level of collaboration and cooperation among the various components of the service delivery system. The Southwestern Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (SADEC) will be formed to enhance county-level partnerships. Both groups will be supported through the refinement of their electronic management systems. Through the use of an Intensive Family Service Team (IFST), parents/caregivers (N=100), upon discharge from the region’s only ATOD residential facility, will gain access to a full array of individual and family focused services. The service delivery model will use the guiding principles of the Strengthening Families Approach to modify the Homebuilders Model for the current population. Led by an Intensive Family Service Team Worker (IFSTW), the IFST will work with all members of the targeted family, child welfare worker, substance abuse treatment provider, etc. to engage families, remove barriers to treatment/needed services, and offer ongoing support to the family. Sustainability efforts will begin in Year 01, and the project will employ an experimental design to evaluate the project’s outcomes.
The project is a joint effort between Kids' Hope United, the Missouri Departments of Social Services and Mental Health, and the Missouri Institute of Mental Health.
For more information contact:
Shannon Stokes
Director of Programs, Kids Hope United
PO Box 878, Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-634-0018
Fax: 573-634-0023
