Regional Partnership Grants to Increase the Well-Being of, and to Improve the Permanency Outcomes for, Children Affected by Substance Abuse: Eighth Report to Congress
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Regional Partnership Grants to Increase the Well-Being of, and to Improve the Permanency Outcomes for, Children Affected by Substance Abuse: Eighth Report to Congress

Published: Jan 07, 2025
Publisher: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau
Human Services Child Welfare Mental Health and Substance Use Federal Research and Evaluation

Authors

Mathematica

Key Findings

Findings presented in the Eighth Report to Congress include:

  • During the 3 years of enrollment, the RPG4 projects enrolled 1,108 families (1,301 adults and 1,769 children). Halfway through their grant periods, 17 RPG5 and RPG6 projects had enrolled 1,282 families (1,553 adults and 2,459 children).
  • Most service encounters were either: (1) case management or service coordination; or (2) therapy or counseling.
  • Adults enrolled in RPG4 reported fewer symptoms of depression and trauma at program exit than at program entry, and adults had improvements in five parenting attitudes following participation in RPG4.
  • There were statistically significant reductions in maltreatment rates and removals from the home for children from the year before RPG4 enrollment to the year following RPG entry.
Since 2006, Congress has authorized the Children’s Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to fund discretionary grants, called Regional Partnership Grants (RPG), for improving safety, well-being, and permanency outcomes for children at risk of or in out-of-home placement because of parents’ or caregivers’ substance use issues. To build knowledge of effective, collaborative services provided by the partnerships, in 2012 the Children’s Bureau contracted with Mathematica for a national cross-site evaluation. Most of the Eighth Report to Congress focuses on evaluation findings from the fourth cohort (RPG4), including characteristics of enrolled families, services received by families, key partnerships and collaboration, the cost of selected services, and changes in family outcomes. The report provides interim information for the fifth and sixth cohorts (RPG5 and RPG6).

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