Session: Lessons Learned From Adapting and Implementing Evidence-Based Prevention Programs in Settings Relevant to Child Welfare (Society for Prevention Research 21st Annual Meeting)

There is a dearth of evidence-based prevention programs tailored for and tested with families at risk for or involved with the child welfare system. While there are a wide variety of programs that are potentially beneficial to this high needs population, it is critically important to develop and test these programs within the real world conditions that families face. The need for preventive interventions for child welfare populations is viewed as vital in addressing not only key problems in the child welfare system itself, but also in addressing the diverse needs of children and families who come to the attention of the system. Of particular importance is that children of all ages are involved with child welfare, and the needs of children and families vary across development. The studies overviewed in this symposium illustrate and address the challenges of adaptation and implementation and provide data relevant to the needs of parents and caregivers of children in or at risk of involvement with the child welfare system. In the first presentation, the needs of infants and toddlers are highlighted in a presentation focused on the initial findings of a randomized controlled trial of the Relief Nursery, a preventive intervention that has been disseminated throughout the state of Oregon through a combination of public and private efforts. In the second presentation, the needs of children during elementary school are highlighted in a presentation focused on the follow-up findings of a randomized controlled trial of Parenting Inside Out, a parent management training program for incarcerated mothers and fathers, whose children are at risk for child welfare involvement. In the third and final presentation, the needs of teenagers are highlighted in a presentation focused on Staying Connected with Your Teen, a program developed for foster teens and their caregivers and currently being studied in a pilot randomized trial. Implications of the findings from these three efforts will be discussed in terms of future preventive efforts with child welfare populations.