Application of the Evaluation Framework for Program Improvement of START

Abstract

This study applies the Children's Bureau program evaluation framework (Framework Workgroup, 2014) to the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Team (START) program, an integrated program between child welfare and substance abuse treatment. A cluster analysis of 673 START participants in 420 families identified three subgroups. Intact families retained child custody throughout treatment and achieved the highest rates of sobriety. Despite similar substance use disorders and loss of parental custody, group two was mostly reunified and group three was rarely reunified. Group differences in trends suggest a need for additional and innovative strategies to support program improvement.

Keywords::

• leadership
• administration and supervision
• substance abuse
• evidence-based practices

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to all the substance abuse treatment providers, START teams, technology and SACWIS system, agency leadership, and court personnel who worked diligently to make this program and evaluation possible.

Funding

The START program and study was partially supported with funding by the Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under grant number CU90045, RPG. Additional funding came from the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services. This study was presented at the 19^th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, New Orleans, LA on May 2, 2014.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ruth A. Huebner

Ruth A. Huebner, PhD, is a retired Professor from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY and a former Child Welfare Researcher for the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services in Frankfort, KY.

Tina Willauer

Tina Willauer, MPA, is the Director of the START and Kentucky Substance Abuse Initiative at the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services in Frankfort, KY.

Lynn Posze

Lynn Posze, MA, is the START Assistant Director for Behavioral Health at the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services in Frankfort, KY.

Martin T. Hall

Martin T. Hall, PhD, MSSW, is an Assistant Professor in the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY.

Janell Oliver

Janell Oliver, MFA, is a START Technical Writer at the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services in Frankfort, KY.