Prevention and Evidenced-Based Practices

The Prevention and Evidence-Based Practices Branch coordinates tertiary prevention activities. Tertiary prevention services are provided to families where child maltreatment has already occurred with the goal of preventing it from happening again, to avoid family separation, and to reunify families faster.

The Prevention and Evidence-Based Practices Branch completes administrative duties for implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act, coordinates contracts to implement prevention programs, participates in community collaborations, provides consultation, develops standards or practice, and provides state program guidance to child protective service workers, community members, and contract prevention providers.

Family First Prevention Services Act

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), enacted as part of Public Law (P.L.) 115—123 and codified in Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, authorized new optional title IV-E funding for time-limited prevention services for mental health, substance abuse, and in-home parent skill-based programs for children or youth who are candidates for foster care, pregnant or parenting youth in foster care, and the parents or kin caregivers of those children and youth.

Title IV-E agencies that elect to provide the title IV-E prevention program must submit a five-year plan for their title IV-E prevention program to the Children’s Bureau for review and approval. Please see https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov for programs and services rated as well-supported, supported, promising, or does not currently meet criteria.

Family First Preservation and Reunification Services

Family Preservation and Reunification Services (FPRS) is the broadest Family First prevention program providing intensive and trauma-informed in-home services to families. FPRS serves ages 0-17, is available statewide, and implements multiple evidenced-based practices that include but are not limited to the Homebuilders Model, Functional Family Therapy (FFT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Parent and Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).

Highlights of the program include a minimum of 3-10 hours spent in the home with families a week, staff hold small caseloads to ensure the necessary intensity of services is provided to families, staff are available to families 24/7, meet with families during times that are easy for the family or during times of need, and $1,500 is available to each family to support any concrete needs they may have. Social Service Staff can refer for both preservation and reunification services to prevent out of home care placement and to reunify children when they are exiting out of home care placement and transitioning home. Referral for reunification can occur before or after reunification has occurred.

FPRS consistently has outcomes each State Fiscal Year of 90% of children remaining in their home at closure.

Kentucky Strengthening Ties and Empowering Parents (KSTEP)

Kentucky Strengthening Ties and Empowering Parents (KSTEP) is a joint intensive in-home services program coupled with substance use disorder treatment. It serves families with children under 10 years of age, where caregiver substance use is the primary risk factor, and the child protective services case has not moved to ongoing services but will.

KSTEP provides quick access to both in-home services and substance use disorder treatment. In-home services begin within 24 hours, and substance use disorder assessment is completed within 24 hours of referral. Transportation is provided, concrete funds of $1,000 per family, and payment is made for drug screens or treatment prior to Medicaid to remove every possible barrier to families gaining sobriety and learning to parent sober.

KSTEP is available in Northeastern, Northern Bluegrass, Salt River Trail, and the Cumberland service regions and boasts a high percentage rate of children remaining in their home at closure, with 92% of children, involved in a successful closure, residing in their home at closure in State Fiscal Year 2024.

KSTEP is delivered through multiple evidence-based practices. KSTEP cases last up to 8 months or longer with extensions, with as many as 10 hours of service in the home to as little as 1 hour a week depending on the phase of the program the family is in.

Please see the KSTEP manual, Kentucky Strengthening Ties and Empowering Parents (KSTEP) Program Manual by University of Kentucky College of Social Work at https://issuu.com/ukcosw/docs/kstep_manual.

Evidence-Based Practice Specific Programs

High-Fidelity Wraparound

High-Fidelity Wraparound uses an individualized, team-based, collaborative process to provide a coordinated set of services and supports. It is typically targeted toward children and youth with complex emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs, and their families.

Throughout the process, youth and their families work with a care coordinator who convenes, facilitates, and coordinates efforts of the wraparound team. The care coordinator further helps the family navigate planned services and supports, including informal and community-based options; tracks progress and satisfaction to revise the plan of care as needed; and ensures program fidelity.

Wraparound is typically targeted toward children and youth birth to age 21 with complex emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs, and their families. High-Fidelity Wraparound is implemented in Jefferson, Salt River Trail, and The Cumberland Service Regions. Intensity varies with 2 team sessions in the first 3 weeks to 1 month. Then the team continues to meet with the family at the intensity catered to them and it decreases overtime, with the intervention lasting up to 14 months. High-Fidelity Wraparound is a standalone evidence-based practice.

Intercept

Intercept provides intensive in-home services to children and youth, 0-17 years of age, who have experienced child abuse or neglect and/or have serious emotional and behavioral needs and are at risk of entry or re-entry into out-of-home placements or who are currently in out-of-home placements (e.g., foster care, residential facilities, or group homes).

The program is designed to reduce foster care utilization by providing prevention services to children and their families of origin. For children already in foster care, Intercept aims to reduce time spent in foster care by providing reunification services to children and their families of origin.

Family Intervention Specialists use an integrated, trauma-informed approach to offer individualized services intended to meet the needs of children and their families of origin. Specialists address needs identified in children’s schools, peer groups, neighborhoods, and communities. Specialists also support the family in school or legal meetings and are on-call to provide crisis support 24/7.

Intercept uses an online resource called GuideTree® to facilitate treatment. GuideTree includes a comprehensive resource library, access to Licensed Program Experts, and supports for developing and reviewing treatment plans. Intercept is available in Jefferson, Northeastern, Northern Bluegrass, Salt River Trail, Southern Bluegrass, The Cumberland, The Lakes, and Two Rivers Service Regions. Intercept is a standalone evidence-based practice.

Multi-Systemic Therapy

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is an intensive treatment for troubled youth delivered in multiple settings. This program aims to promote pro-social behavior and reduce criminal activity, mental health symptomology, out-of-home placements, and illicit substance use in 12- to 17-year-old youth.

The MST program addresses the core causes of delinquent and antisocial conduct by identifying key drivers of the behaviors through an ecological assessment of the youth, his or her family, and school and community. The intervention strategies are personalized to address the identified drivers. The program is delivered for an average of three to five months, with a minimum of 6 hours face to face a week and 3 days a week, and services are available 24/7, which enables timely crisis management and allows families to choose which times will work best for them.

Master’s level therapists from licensed MST providers take on only a small caseload at any given time so that they can be available to meet their clients’ needs. It also provides up to $500 in flexible funding per family to meet concrete needs. MST is available in Jefferson, Northern Bluegrass, Salt River Trail, ad Southern Bluegrass Service Regions. MST is a standalone evidence-based practice.

Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START)

Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) is designed to serve families involved in the child welfare system with at least one child age 5 or younger and one parent diagnosed with a substance use disorder (SUD).

The START model was designed to recruit, engage, and retain parents in SUD treatment while keeping children safe. The goals of START are to prevent out-of-home placements, promote child safety and well-being, increase permanency for children, encourage parental SUD recovery, and improve family stability and self-sufficiency.

START pairs Social Service staff, peer mentors and SUD treatment providers. Eligibility includes families with a new referral (not an active case), receiving a substantiated finding or family in need of services finding, with one child 0-5 in the home, and the primary risk factor of parental substance use. The intervention lasts approximately 14 months in conjunction with the child welfare case, with START Social Service staff limited to a maximum of 15 cases at a time. START is available in Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Daviess, Boyd, Fayette and Jefferson Counties.

Community Pathways

DPCW is seeking avenues to serve families through accessing Title IV-E funded prevention services outside of traditional child welfare services. Community pathways help to promote family stability through support and services without unnecessary child welfare involvement. Services are delivered through community-based agencies and prevention providers.