Profiling intensive in-home family treatment services: Do they work? A 10-year study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the goals of Intensive In-Home Family Treatment programs in North Dakota were met. An outgrowth of the child welfare system, Intensive In-Home services are designed to stabilize and preserve families at risk of dissolution while protecting the safety of all family members. These services provide at-risk families with intensive crisis intervention and family education and are based in the home. This study provides descriptive and evaluative outcome data from 4,866 children, 2,716 parents and 1,729 family cases. These families were treated by two North Dakota providers of family preservation services at some point in the course of the past 10 years.1 The data presented here were collected throughout this time period. Depending on the presenting problems and the definition of out-of-home placement, this research demonstrates that between 70% and 94% of families involved with Intensive In-Home Placement stayed together during the 12 months following intervention. Overall analysis reveals that most families showed substantial improvements in functioning.