NCJ Number
169915
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Dated: (Summer 1997) Pages: 607-624
Date Published
1997
Length
18 pages
Annotation
An interagency treatment program for pregnant and parenting drug abusers in California was evaluated with respect to its impacts on both the mothers and their children.
Abstract
The program model was called Options for Recovery. It was developed through an interagency partnership within the California Health and Welfare Agency. Options for Recovery offered alcohol and drug treatment, case management, and recruitment and training of foster parents and relative caregivers. The 3-year, multi-method evaluation included quantitative analyses of secondary data sources, semi-structured interviews with staff and clients, self-administered surveys of staff and clients, client focus groups, and assessments of child development. Twenty-six hundred women took part in the program during 1991-93. Findings indicate that several factors are necessary for the success of programs structured on the Options for Recovery model. They must recruit drug-dependent women early in their pregnancies; provide mechanisms for retention; offer a continuum of treatment modalities within the service system; make available a comprehensive array of ancillary services; and be responsive to the social, cultural, and familial context within which these women live. Tables and 26 references (Author abstract modified)