A post-reunification service model: Implementation and population served

Nationally, nearly half (49%) of all children removed from their parents’ home due to maltreatment subsequently return to live with their parents. However, families struggle to stay together after reunification, with between 20% and 40% of children re-entering foster care within 5 years (Font et al., 2018; Lee et al., 2012). Catawba County in North Carolina, recognizing that families often face multiple challenges and can benefit from an advocate and coach to help them build internal capacity and resilience, developed the Success Coach post-reunification program. Success Coaches work with families after a child is reunified with their family to help stabilize, build resiliency, and other protective factors within the family. In 2015 Catawba County expanded this service to five additional counties and initiated a randomized, controlled study, using a mixed-methods design, including both outcome and implementation components. Research questions focused on: 1) if children in families that received Success Coach services are less likely to be reported for subsequent maltreatment; 2) if children in families that received Success Coach services are less likely to re-enter care/return to agency custody; 3) if children in families that received Success Coach services are more likely to experience positive well-being; 4) factors that play a role in families’ decisions to participate in Success Coach services; and 5) other contextual factors, such as other services available in the community, that might affect outcomes.