COAC Family Connections Project

Project Overview

The Family Connections Project received funding through an Administration for Children & Families federal grant.The New York Council on Adoptable Children (COAC), the primary ACF grantee, contracted TXICFW’s Dr. Monica Faulkner to oversee the program evaluation for the project. The project examined the effectiveness of the Nurturing Parent Program, an evidence-based parenting curriculum, with parents who have HIV and/or substance use issues living in Brooklyn, NY.

This evaluation sought to understand the impact of the Family Connections program on families with a caregiver who has HIV and/or substance use issues. Both an outcome and process evaluation were conducted to assess the Family Connections program. The outcome evaluation assessed the degree to which the program improved family resilience, stability and permanency planning. The process evaluation provided information regarding program implementation and functioning. Process results were provided to program staff to inform mid-project adjustments as needed.

Project Objectives

The objectives for the outcome evaluation included:

1.  Caregivers will report increased protective factors.
2. Caregivers will report improvements in parenting skills.
3. 85% of HIV positive parents will maintain compliance with their medical treatments.
4. 85% of parents who begin the program with substance use issues will report decreased substance use.
5. By the end of the program, 100% of parents needing a permanency plan will have a plan in place.

The objectives for the process evaluation included:

1. By end of year one, a consortium of provider agencies will be established that meets biannually to discuss service coordination.
2. Throughout the program, Family Connections staff will make appropriate referrals for families to services outside of COAC, specifically substance use and HIV treatment.
3. By April 2014, Family Connections staff will be trained in the Nurturing Parent Program curricula.
4. By the end of the program, 150 families will have received services through the Family Connections Program.

This project was completed in 2016. Please contact the Principal Investigator with any questions.