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• 1. [Article] IV-E Waiver Evaluation – Leveraging Intensive Family Engagement (LIFE) Program Evaluation

  In partnership with Oregon’s Department of Human Services, we are conducting qualitative and quantitative research to document the implementation and outcomes of the LIFE program. LIFE is an innovative ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: IV-E Waiver Evaluation – Leveraging Intensive Family Engagement (LIFE) Program Evaluation Author: Furrer, Carrie Jeanne, Duong, Thuan, Cross-Hemmer, Amanda, Green, Beth L. Year: 2016 In partnership with Oregon’s Department of Human Services, we are conducting qualitative and quantitative research to document the implementation and outcomes of the LIFE program. LIFE is an innovative approach to reducing time in out of home placement by providing intensive, multi-modal interventions that integrate Family Finding, Family Meetings, Parent Mentors, and a focus on family and youth voice in reducing the time spent in care for youth at high risk for long term foster care placements. Title: IV-E Waiver Evaluation – Leveraging Intensive Family Engagement (LIFE) Program Evaluation Author: Furrer, Carrie Jeanne, Duong, Thuan, Cross-Hemmer, Amanda, Green, Beth L. Year: 2016 In partnership with Oregon’s Department of Human Services, we are conducting qualitative and quantitative research to document the implementation and outcomes of the LIFE program. LIFE is an innovative approach to reducing time in out of home placement by providing intensive, multi-modal interventions that integrate Family Finding, Family Meetings, Parent Mentors, and a focus on family and youth voice in reducing the time spent in care for youth at high risk for long term foster care placements. Close

• 2. [Article] Waiver III: Parent Mentor & Relationship Based Visitation

  The Center for the Improvement of Child and Family Services at Portland State University was contracted by the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), Child Welfare Division to conduct the evaluation ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Waiver III: Parent Mentor & Relationship Based Visitation Author: Green, Beth L., Rockhill, Anna, Furrer, Carrie Jeanne, Rodgers, Angela, Duong, Thuan, Cross-Hemmer, Amanda, Cooper, Christine, Cherry, Kevin Year: 2015 The Center for the Improvement of Child and Family Services at Portland State University was contracted by the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), Child Welfare Division to conduct the evaluation of the Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Children’s Bureau. Oregon’s IV-E Waiver Demonstration involved the implementation and evaluation of two innovative service models for families involved in the child welfare system: (1) RelationshipBased Visitation (RBV); and (2) Parent Mentoring (PM). Relationship-Based Visitation (RBV) was provided in 13 Districts and 29 counties; Parent Mentoring was provided in 4 Districts and 7 counties. RBV services were offered to families with children ages 0-12 who were in an out-ofhome placement. The model provided an intensive parent coaching model, based on the evidence-based Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP, Bavolek, McLaughlin, & Comstock, 1983; See also: www.nurturingparenting.com) and was delivered during parent-child visitation by contracted providers. Parent Mentoring employed peer recovery coaches to support parents with substance abuse issues whose children are either receiving in-home or out-of-home services through child welfare. Parent Mentors, who were typically parents who were in their own recovery and who had experience with the child welfare system, utilized a relationship-based, parent-directed, outcome-oriented approach to working with DHS clients to help them sustain their own recovery and successfully retain or regain custody of their children. Title: Waiver III: Parent Mentor & Relationship Based Visitation Author: Green, Beth L., Rockhill, Anna, Furrer, Carrie Jeanne, Rodgers, Angela, Duong, Thuan, Cross-Hemmer, Amanda, Cooper, Christine, Cherry, Kevin Year: 2015 The Center for the Improvement of Child and Family Services at Portland State University was contracted by the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), Child Welfare Division to conduct the evaluation of the Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Children’s Bureau. Oregon’s IV-E Waiver Demonstration involved the implementation and evaluation of two innovative service models for families involved in the child welfare system: (1) RelationshipBased Visitation (RBV); and (2) Parent Mentoring (PM). Relationship-Based Visitation (RBV) was provided in 13 Districts and 29 counties; Parent Mentoring was provided in 4 Districts and 7 counties. RBV services were offered to families with children ages 0-12 who were in an out-ofhome placement. The model provided an intensive parent coaching model, based on the evidence-based Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP, Bavolek, McLaughlin, & Comstock, 1983; See also: www.nurturingparenting.com) and was delivered during parent-child visitation by contracted providers. Parent Mentoring employed peer recovery coaches to support parents with substance abuse issues whose children are either receiving in-home or out-of-home services through child welfare. Parent Mentors, who were typically parents who were in their own recovery and who had experience with the child welfare system, utilized a relationship-based, parent-directed, outcome-oriented approach to working with DHS clients to help them sustain their own recovery and successfully retain or regain custody of their children. Close

• 3. [Article] The Effect of Early Head Start on Child Welfare System Involvement: A First Look at Longitudinal Child Maltreatment Outcomes

  The high societal and personal costs of child maltreatment make identification of effective early prevention programs a high research priority. Early Head Start (EHS), a dual generational program serving ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Effect of Early Head Start on Child Welfare System Involvement: A First Look at Longitudinal Child Maltreatment Outcomes Author: Green, Beth L., Ayoub, Catherine, Bartlett, Jessica Dym, Ende, Adam Von, Furrer, Carrie Jeanne, Chazen-Cohen, Rachel, Vallotton, Claire, Klevens, Joanne Year: 2014 The high societal and personal costs of child maltreatment make identification of effective early prevention programs a high research priority. Early Head Start (EHS), a dual generational program serving low-income families with children prenatally through age three years, is one of the largest federally funded programs for infants and toddlers in the United States. A national randomized trial found EHS to be effective in improving parent and child outcomes, but its effectiveness in reducing child maltreatment was not assessed. The current study used administrative data from state child welfare agencies to examine the impact of EHS on documented abuse and neglect among children from seven of the original seventeen programs in the national EHS randomized controlled trial. Results indicated that children in EHS had significantly fewer child welfare encounters between the ages of five and nine years than did children in the control group, and that EHS slowed the rate of subsequent encounters. Additionally, compared to children in the control group, children in EHS were less likely to have a substantiated report of physical or sexual abuse, but more likely to have a substantiated report of neglect. These findings suggest that EHS may be effective in reducing child maltreatment among low-income children, in particular, physical and sexual abuse. Title: The Effect of Early Head Start on Child Welfare System Involvement: A First Look at Longitudinal Child Maltreatment Outcomes Author: Green, Beth L., Ayoub, Catherine, Bartlett, Jessica Dym, Ende, Adam Von, Furrer, Carrie Jeanne, Chazen-Cohen, Rachel, Vallotton, Claire, Klevens, Joanne Year: 2014 The high societal and personal costs of child maltreatment make identification of effective early prevention programs a high research priority. Early Head Start (EHS), a dual generational program serving low-income families with children prenatally through age three years, is one of the largest federally funded programs for infants and toddlers in the United States. A national randomized trial found EHS to be effective in improving parent and child outcomes, but its effectiveness in reducing child maltreatment was not assessed. The current study used administrative data from state child welfare agencies to examine the impact of EHS on documented abuse and neglect among children from seven of the original seventeen programs in the national EHS randomized controlled trial. Results indicated that children in EHS had significantly fewer child welfare encounters between the ages of five and nine years than did children in the control group, and that EHS slowed the rate of subsequent encounters. Additionally, compared to children in the control group, children in EHS were less likely to have a substantiated report of physical or sexual abuse, but more likely to have a substantiated report of neglect. These findings suggest that EHS may be effective in reducing child maltreatment among low-income children, in particular, physical and sexual abuse. Close

• 4. [Article] Research-to-Practice Brief: Promising Evidence that Early Head Start Can Prevent Child Maltreatment

  This brief addresses two main questions in a sample of Early Head Start eligible children: 1) the number and type of maltreatment episodes and 2) the impact of Early Head Start on child and family involvement ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Research-to-Practice Brief: Promising Evidence that Early Head Start Can Prevent Child Maltreatment Author: Chazan-Cohen, Rachel, Green, Beth L., Ayoub, Catherine, Bartlett, Jessica Dym, Von Ende, Adam, Furrer, Carrie Jeanne Year: 2015 This brief addresses two main questions in a sample of Early Head Start eligible children: 1) the number and type of maltreatment episodes and 2) the impact of Early Head Start on child and family involvement in the child welfare system. These findings are especially important given the lack of scalable and effective preventive interventions. In addition, they are also timely given the recent interest in fostering collaborations between early care and education programs and child welfare agencies, agencies responsible for overseeing child protection from maltreatment (OHS & ACYF, 2010; ACYF & OHS, 2011; ACYF & OCC, 2011). The current study represents a first look at the impact of Early Head Start on child maltreatment. We are continuing to collect data and will have more information in the upcoming years. Title: Research-to-Practice Brief: Promising Evidence that Early Head Start Can Prevent Child Maltreatment Author: Chazan-Cohen, Rachel, Green, Beth L., Ayoub, Catherine, Bartlett, Jessica Dym, Von Ende, Adam, Furrer, Carrie Jeanne Year: 2015 This brief addresses two main questions in a sample of Early Head Start eligible children: 1) the number and type of maltreatment episodes and 2) the impact of Early Head Start on child and family involvement in the child welfare system. These findings are especially important given the lack of scalable and effective preventive interventions. In addition, they are also timely given the recent interest in fostering collaborations between early care and education programs and child welfare agencies, agencies responsible for overseeing child protection from maltreatment (OHS & ACYF, 2010; ACYF & OHS, 2011; ACYF & OCC, 2011). The current study represents a first look at the impact of Early Head Start on child maltreatment. We are continuing to collect data and will have more information in the upcoming years. Close

• 5. [Article] The power of protection: a population-based comparison of native and non-native youth suicide attempters

  This study provides actionable information about intervening with American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth to prevent suicide. Statewide school survey data were used to model the impact of risk and ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The power of protection: a population-based comparison of native and non-native youth suicide attempters Author: Mackin, Juliette, Perkins, Tamara, Furrer, Carrie Jeanne Year: 2012 This study provides actionable information about intervening with American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth to prevent suicide. Statewide school survey data were used to model the impact of risk and protective factors on self-reported suicide attempts (both AI/AN and non-AI/AN). The cumulative risk and protective model worked similarly for both groups. AI/AN youth had a higher threshold of risk before making a suicide attempt. Protective factors buffered the impact of risk, particularly for the higher risk youth. Title: The power of protection: a population-based comparison of native and non-native youth suicide attempters Author: Mackin, Juliette, Perkins, Tamara, Furrer, Carrie Jeanne Year: 2012 This study provides actionable information about intervening with American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth to prevent suicide. Statewide school survey data were used to model the impact of risk and protective factors on self-reported suicide attempts (both AI/AN and non-AI/AN). The cumulative risk and protective model worked similarly for both groups. AI/AN youth had a higher threshold of risk before making a suicide attempt. Protective factors buffered the impact of risk, particularly for the higher risk youth. Close

• 6. [Article] It’s Not as Simple as it Sounds: Problems and Solutions in Accessing and Using Administrative Child Welfare Data for Evaluating the Impact of Early Childhood Interventions

  In recent years, there has been increasing interest in using administrative data collected by state child welfare agencies as a source of information for research and evaluation. The challenges of obtaining ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: It’s Not as Simple as it Sounds: Problems and Solutions in Accessing and Using Administrative Child Welfare Data for Evaluating the Impact of Early Childhood Interventions Author: Green, Beth L., Ayoub, Catherine, Bartlett, Jessica Dym, Furrer, Carrie Jeanne, Von Ende, Adam, Chazen-Cohen, Rachel, Klevens, Joanne, Nygren, Peggy Year: 2015 In recent years, there has been increasing interest in using administrative data collected by state child welfare agencies as a source of information for research and evaluation. The challenges of obtaining access to and using these data, however, have not been well documented. This study describes the processes used to access child welfare records in six different states and the approach to combining and using the information gathered to evaluate the impact of the Early Head Start program on children’s involvement with the child welfare system from birth through age eleven. We provide “lessons learned” for researchers who are attempting to use this information, including being prepared for long delays in access to information, the need for deep understanding of how child welfare agencies record and code information, and for considerable data management work for translating agency records into analysis-ready datasets. While accessing and using this information is not easy, and the data have a number of limitations, we suggest that the benefits can outweigh the challenges and that these records can be a useful source of information for policy-relevant child welfare research. Title: It’s Not as Simple as it Sounds: Problems and Solutions in Accessing and Using Administrative Child Welfare Data for Evaluating the Impact of Early Childhood Interventions Author: Green, Beth L., Ayoub, Catherine, Bartlett, Jessica Dym, Furrer, Carrie Jeanne, Von Ende, Adam, Chazen-Cohen, Rachel, Klevens, Joanne, Nygren, Peggy Year: 2015 In recent years, there has been increasing interest in using administrative data collected by state child welfare agencies as a source of information for research and evaluation. The challenges of obtaining access to and using these data, however, have not been well documented. This study describes the processes used to access child welfare records in six different states and the approach to combining and using the information gathered to evaluate the impact of the Early Head Start program on children’s involvement with the child welfare system from birth through age eleven. We provide “lessons learned” for researchers who are attempting to use this information, including being prepared for long delays in access to information, the need for deep understanding of how child welfare agencies record and code information, and for considerable data management work for translating agency records into analysis-ready datasets. While accessing and using this information is not easy, and the data have a number of limitations, we suggest that the benefits can outweigh the challenges and that these records can be a useful source of information for policy-relevant child welfare research. Close