CASE STUDY: FAMILIES FIRST


In January 2011, the DC Children and Youth Investment's Trust, in partnership with the Department of Mental Health (DMH), chose Evidence-Based Associates (EBA) to lead an evidence-based practice initiative called "Families First." As part of this initiative, EBA provides pre-implementation (i.e., program development) services for local providers as they prepare to implement three evidence-based programs for the district's most vulnerable youth and families. These programs include:

  1. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) - An empirically-supported treatment for conduct-disordered young children that places emphasis on improving the quality of the parent-child relationship and changing parent-child interaction patterns

  2. Child Parent Psychotherapy for Families Affected by Violence (CPP-FV) - A relationship-based treatment for parents and young children that helps restore normal developmental functioning in the wake of violence and trauma.

  3. Multisystemic Therapy (MST) - Problem Sexual Behavior (PSB) - Built on the foundation of standard MST, an intensive family- and community-based treatment program that focuses on all the environments surrounding the offender — their homes and families, schools and teachers, neighborhoods and friends, MST-PSB works with chronic and violent juvenile offenders who engage in criminal sexual behavior.

As part of DMH's multi-year plan, Families First will increase access to, and the quality of, evidence-based programs within the district's public mental health system. Additionally it will expand the array of proven-effective services along the continuum of care for children, youth and their families. The implementation of Families First also opens access to home-based, family-focused alternatives for children at risk of being removed from their homes due to their behavior, family unrest or parent-child conflicts.

Through the Families First project, EBA works with DMH Core Services Agencies (CSA), and oversees data collection, analysis and continuous quality improvement. The overall goals, objectives and deliverables of the project, include the following:
  • Implement identified evidence-based programs

  • Coordinate implementation and management of selected evidence-based programs

  • Support and facilitate all aspects of communication between each evidence-based program training entity and the CSA

  • Oversee training including on-site follow-up and support

  • Develop evidence-programs that place emphasis on improving the quality of the parent-child relationship and changing parent-child interaction patterns for the early childhood population

  • Assist CSAs in developing budgetary/financial due diligence to ensure funding and reimbursement plan will be adequate to sustain program implementation

  • Facilitate the development of adequate staffing plans to support each specific evidence-based program and recruitment of qualified programs and staff

  • Develop referral processes and procedures for each specific evidence-based program in conjunction with DMH

  • Coordinate and host an evidence-based program conference for district professionals serving at-risk children, youth and their families


Families First: Restoring families through proven, family-centered programs and remaining committed to keeping families together

At the heart of the Families First project is a commitment to keep families together and prevent children from being sent to out-of-home placements. Through intensive and extensive training, Families First will work closely with DMH's choice provider therapists to strengthen their knowledge of the newly introduced evidence-based treatment models - models that continually demonstrate positive results for troubled children when implemented correctly. Counselors will apply these research-proven model practices to empower families by promoting stronger relationships with their children and increasing communication through skills such as problem-solving and better decision-making. One of EBA's core strengths is ensuring providers implement evidence-based programs with fidelity and rigor.

Families First is a multi-year project that began in January 2011.

Families First Facts

  • Serves at-risk children, youth and families in Washington, D.C.

  • Funded by the District of Columbia's Department of Mental Health

  • Provides access to Child-Parent Psychotherapy for Family Violence (CPP-FV), Multisystemic Therapy for Problem Sexual Behavior (MST-PSB) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)