Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP)
Problems addressed
Drug abuse
Alcohol abuse
Crime and delinquency (multiple types)
Socioeconomic vulnerability
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Adults (18 to 59 years)
Where the program was applied
Residence / home
Community (streets or community centers)
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a substance use treatment intervention for pregnant and postpartum women. The goal is to provide care services, reduce substance use, enable greater financial and health stability, and prevent psychological and developmental consequences in children.
The program is based on relational theory, behavioral change, and harm reduction, and is implemented by case managers throughout the woman’s pregnancy or shortly after delivery. Home visits and referrals are made to specialized health, housing, parenting, and vocational training services.

Impact evaluations

Impact evaluation studies showed that beneficiaries who spent more time in follow-up with case managers had better outcomes in reducing psychoactive substance use [1]; scores were, on average, lower than expected for their age in both the intervention and the control groups [2].
The program intervention produced a significant increase in abstinence from alcohol and drugs for six months or more, and significant decreases in pregnancy and childbirth, increased access to permanent housing, and a significant decrease in incarceration [3]. Beneficiaries also reported increased use of reliable birth control contraceptive methods, positive outcomes in alcohol/drug treatment completion, and increased abstinence from alcohol/drugs during pregnancy [4].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Ernst, C. C., Grant, T. M., Streissguth, A. P., & Samson, P. D. (1999). Intervention with high-risk alcohol and drug-abusing mothers: II. Three-year findings from the Seattle model of paraprofessional advocacy. Journal of Community Psychology, 27(1), 19-38.https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1520-6629(199901)27:13.0.C…

[2] Kartin, D., Grant, T. M., Streissguth, A. P., Sampson, P. D., & Ernst, C. C. (2002). Three year development outcomes in children with prenatal alcohol and drug exposure. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 14, 145-153. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.10048

[3] Grant, T., Ernst, C. C., Pagaliauan, G., & Streissguth, A. (2003). Post-program follow-up effects of a paraprofessional intervention with high-risk women who abused alcohol and drugs during pregnancy. Journal of Community Psychology, 31(3), 211-222.

[4] Grant, T. M., Ernst, C. C., Streissguth, A., & Stark, K. (2005). Preventing alcohol and drug exposed births in Washington State: Intervention findings from three Parent-Child Assistance Program sites. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 31, 471-490. https://doi.org/10.1081/ADA-200056813

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