Evaluating a One-Year Version of the Parent-Child Assistance Program

NCT06163651 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 90FA3011
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The proposed project seeks to achieve three objectives that will, collectively, evaluate the effectiveness of a one-year version of the Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP-1) -a model for a home visitation and case management program for parents who used substances. First, the proposed project aims to estimate the causal impact of PCAP-1 on preventing the need for foster care and promoting reunification. Second, the project will estimate PCAP-1's effectiveness in achieving other program goals: parent recovery, parent's connection with needed comprehensive community resources, and preventing future children from being exposed to drugs and alcohol. Finally, causal evidence of program effectiveness across the prior two objectives would enable PCAP-1 to be rated according to strength of evidence on relevant federal registries (i.e., FFPSA and HOMEVEE). All objectives will be pursued with substantial backing from public and private partners, including the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OK's Title IV-E agency). This quasi-experimental project will recruit 40 new participants to receive one year of PCAP-1 services. It will use administrative data on participants from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services for the control group. Given that the population PCAP serves are disproportionately poor and low-income and PCAP is designed to be culturally competent and relevant, PCAP-1 harbors the potential to address inequities in child welfare outcomes, substance use disorder treatment services, and child and family well- being by improving outcomes for these families. With a strong backing by state agencies and community partners, the evaluation of PCAP-1 will contribute to a knowledge gap in the field for in-home program models serving a highly vulnerable population with high rates of child welfare involvement and use of foster care.

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder; Substance Use Disorders; Alcohol Use Complicating Pregnancy, Unspecified Trimester; Drug Use Disorders; Drug Use Complicating Pregnancy, Unspecified Trimester

Keywords

Parent-Child Assistance; Substance Use Disorder; Addictions; Drug Dependence; Drug Abuse; Alcohol Dependence; Alcohol Abuse; Alcoholism; Recovery Services; PCAP

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Proportion of target children not placed in foster care

  The target child is not placed in foster care.

  Measured after 1 year of study participation.

• Parent acquires or maintains child custody

  The parent has physical custody of the target child.

  Measured after 1 year of study participation.

• Reduction in costs to state agencies

  Reduced costs to state agencies following PCAP-1 participation.

  Measured after 1 year of study participation.

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Proportion of parents who acquire or maintain stable housing

  Measured after 1 year of study participation.

• Proportion of parents who acquire or maintain employment

  Measured after 1 year of study participation.

• Proportion of parents who enroll in or complete an educational program

  Measured after 1 year of study participation.

• Proportion of parents who receive public benefits

  Measured after 1 year of study participation.

• Proportion of parents with ongoing criminal justice involvement

  Measured after 1 year of study participation.

Study Arms (2)

Treatment Group

EXPERIMENTAL

The treatment group consists of parents who meet our eligibility criteria. Parents in the treatment group will receive PCAP-1 services through the work of highly trained, closely-supervised case managers.

Behavioral: Parent-Child Assistance Program - One-Year Version

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

The control group consists of parents who meet our eligibility criteria and are part of administrative data from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services in a comparable county to our intervention county, or from prior historical cases within the same county. Parents in the control group can access "services as usual" in the community, but will not receive PCAP in any form.

Interventions

Parent-Child Assistance Program - One-Year Version BEHAVIORAL

Case managers work closely with parents over the course of one year, meeting them in their own homes when possible, to help them set goals and take advantage of available resources.

Treatment Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• People over the age of 18
• Parents with children under the age of 6 living with them
• Resides within a 50-mile radius of Enid, OK or Oklahoma City, OK (for treatment group)

You may not qualify if:

• \- Incarcerated at the time of enrollment

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Oklahoma: lead
• Children's Bureau - Administration for Children and Families: collaborator
• Oklahoma Department of Health and Human Services: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Remote Worker

Enid, Oklahoma, 73703, United States

RECRUITING

Remote Worker

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73135, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcoholism; Substance-Related Disorders; Behavior, Addictive

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Alcohol-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders; Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Julie Gerlinger, PhD

  University of Oklahoma

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Erin Maher, PhD

  University of Oklahoma

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Susan Stoner, PhD

  University of Washington

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Julie Gerlinger, PhD

CONTACT

405-325-1751; jgerlinger@ou.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 20, 2023
• First Posted: December 11, 2023
• Study Start: June 23, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 29, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026
• Last Updated: July 3, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (2)