Expanding Evidence on Recovery and Reunification Interventions for Families (R3)

The child welfare system has seen recent increases in removals of children from homes where parental substance use disorder (SUD) is a contributing factor, due in part to the depth of the opioid crisis. Some parents with SUD have limited access to treatment and recovery support services, which makes reunification more challenging. To build evidence on interventions that could help, the 2018 SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act called for the replication and evaluation of promising family recovery and reunification interventions that use recovery coaches. In response, the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) and the Children’s Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families launched the R3 project to lay the groundwork for an evaluation of the effectiveness of recovery coaches to improve family reunification and SUD recovery outcomes.  In partnership with Abt Associates and Faces & Voices of Recovery, the Child and Adolescent Data Lab is working to determine the feasibility of a rigorous evaluation of recovery coach interventions in child welfare. 

Photo by Josh Willink