Implementation of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy Within Foster Care: An Attempt to Translate an Evidence-Based Program Within a Local Child Welfare Agency

Abstract

This article describes an implementation project in which parent–child interaction therapy was adapted for and tested within foster parent training services. The authors recount multiple steps involved in translating an evidence-based intervention to child welfare services: (a) specifying the child welfare context for implementation and testing purposes, choosing an intervention model that responded to child welfare service needs, and tailoring the model for the child welfare setting; (b) securing external funding and initiating sustainability plans; and (c) forging a university–community partnership. The article concludes with a discussion of promising preliminary study results, future implementation plans, and lessons learned.

Keywords::

• child maltreatment
• evidence-based practices
• foster care

Funding

A grant from the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R15 HD067829) supported the research outlined in this article. In addition, the University of Wisconsin System provided seed funding for the project's initial proposal development in the form of the Assistance for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

James Topitzes

James Topitzes, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, WI.

Joshua P. Mersky

Joshua P. Mersky, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois-Chicago in Chicago, IL.

Cheryl B. McNeil

Cheryl B. McNeil, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of West Virginia in Morgantown, WV.