A program for high-risk families affected by parental substance abuse and involved in the child welfare system.
The Evidence Summaries presented on this site were drawn from the best available evidence of the program’s effectiveness from this review. It does not necessarily reflect all the evidence about the program. The research was selected and assessed for inclusion on the Menu and towards the evidence rating because it met selection criteria related to the specific topic area, study design, quality assessment and the outcomes of interest.
Overview
Evidence Rating
Pathway
- Targeted and specialist
- Continuing care
Australian Study
Risk of Bias
Cost
Target Age Group
About
Project Connect offers home-based counselling, substance abuse monitoring, nursing and referrals for other services. The aim of Project Connect is to keep children safely in their homes or facilitate reunification where children have been placed in out-of-home care. Project Connect works to connect families with family-centred, community-based services to help them manage the larger systems in their lives, such as schools, courts, child welfare systems, treatment programs for substance abuse, mental health issues and homeless shelters. The program involves group parenting sessions and an ongoing support group for mothers in recovery.
Aims
- Increase family reunification
- Reduce child protection system contact
- Decrease parental substance abuse and dependence
- Support parents’ mental health and functioning
- Improve family functioning
- Increase parenting skills
- Connect families to services and supports.
Impact
Evidence shows that Project Connect was effective in reducing the number of children placed in foster care, increasing the likelihood of family reunification and reducing time to reunification at 18-month follow-up.
| Outcome domain | Outcome measured | Positive effect | No effect | Negative effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| System | Family reunification | Yes | Not found | Not found |
| System | Out-of-home care | Yes | Not found | Not found |
How to read the table:
When ‘Yes’ is indicated for one of the three directions of effect, this means there is evidence of ‘positive’, ‘no effect’ or ‘negative effect’. Evidence is mixed and inconclusive when ‘Yes’ is indicated for two or more directions of effect. Further information about direction of effect can be found on the Using the Menu page.
Project Connect has an evidence rating of Supported+.
This means that Project Connect has evidence from one randomised controlled trial (RCT) or quasi-experiment (QE) demonstrating positive, long-term impact on at least one child and family outcome.
This assessment is based on one research output of QE design. Project Connect has not received a Well-supported rating as it has not yet replicated its results in another RCT or QE with a different population or setting.
| Study design | Number of research outputs included |
|---|---|
| Systematic review with meta-analysis | Not identified or included |
| Randomised controlled trial | Not identified or included |
| Quasi-experiment | 1 |
The evidence has low concerns with risk of bias.
We can be confident about the quality of evidence from the included study.
The study was conducted in the United States and does not include Aboriginal children and families.
Aboriginal knowledge and evidence is critical to recognise, document and share practices that lead to improved outcomes for Aboriginal children and families. The department is consulting with the Aboriginal community and stakeholders on how Aboriginal knowledge and evidence is defined and included on the Menu.
Location
- The QE was conducted in the United States.
Sample
- The parents were aged 19 to 38. The children were aged 0 to 12.
- Families were indicated for abuse or neglect by the state child welfare system and were affected by parental substance abuse.
Implementation
Delivery model, mode and setting
- Project Connect is delivered in-person, to the parent and child separately or together, or in a group format with other parents.
- This program is typically conducted in the birth family home, foster or kinship care or a community-based agency, organisation or provider.
Target cohort
- High-risk families involved in the child welfare system that may be experiencing poly substance abuse and dependence, domestic violence, mental health problems, child abuse and neglect and other vulnerabilities.
- Children aged up to 17.
Program delivery
- Project Connect provides services directly to parents and caregivers. The program works to enhance communication between foster parents and biological parents, to provide consistency and continuity of care for the children.
- Family centred, community-based services connect families with, and help them to manage, the larger systems in their lives, such as schools, courts, child welfare systems, treatment programs for substance abuse, mental health issues, medical problems, domestic violence, homeless shelters and social security.
- Staff members work within these systems to advocate for families and to empower families to overcome the barriers to effective functioning.
- Families are assessed for level of risk and service needs through the Risk Inventory for Substance Abuse-Affected Families, which measures commitment to recovery, patterns of use, effect on childrearing, effect on lifestyle, supports for recovery, parent's self-efficacy, parent's self-care and neighbourhood safety.
- Group parenting sessions are offered to families to improve specific parenting skills and encourage positive interactions between parent and the child. Follow-up visits at the home encourage the application of new skills.
- Observed visitation provides opportunities to offer feedback to the parent and child when appropriate and to best determine service needs.
- To facilitate effective communication and interventions, family-driven case conferencing occurs frequently between various providers and family members.
- Individual supportive counselling is offered on a weekly basis to address individual issues and develop problem-solving strategies.
- Services are offered to families, including using the program's emergency assistance fund, providing transportation when necessary by cab or program vans and making referrals for service linkage.
Duration and intensity
- At least 2 home visits a week and the intensity is determined by the family's needs and the level of risk to the children.
- Home visits are typically of one to 2 hours duration, equating to 4 to 6 hours of services per week.
- Program services last an average of 13 months for families that complete the program.
Guides and manuals
- We were unable to locate any manuals or guides to implement Project Connect.
Additional information
- The Children’s Friend website has more information about Project Connect.
Staffing
- The clinical supervisor and manager of Project Connect should, at a minimum, have a master’s degree in social work or a related field, be a licensed clinical social worker and have experience working with at-risk families. A bachelor’s degree with extensive experience working with at-risk, substance-abuse affected families with child welfare involvement may also be acceptable.
Training
- We were unable to locate any information on training requirements.
To our knowledge, Project Connect is not available in Australia.
Cost
We were unable to locate any information on the cost of Project Connect.
References
Studies identified and included in the review
- Olsen, LJ (1995). Services for substance abuse-affected families: The Project Connect experience. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 12(3): 183-196.
Studies identified but not counted towards the evidence rating due to study quality
No studies that were identified were excluded due to study quality.