Parent Child Assistance Program (PCAP)
Parent Child Assistance Program (PCAP) is a home visitation case management program founded on a research study conducted by the University of Washington to support pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders.
Our evidence-based program is staffed by experienced Case Managers who work with pregnant and parenting women to provide recovery support in order to build and maintain healthy, independent family lives and ensure that children are living in safe and stable homes.
Case Managers partner with clients to provide intensive case management and interventions for three years. Case Managers and clients generally meet twice a month to work on:
Setting goals and identifying steps to achieve them
Accessing treatment for alcohol and substance use disorders
Maintaining long-term sobriety and recovery support
Connecting with community services
Resolving system service barriers
Addressing housing, domestic violence, child custody, and legal issues
Staying up-to-date with child health care/immunizations
Choosing a family planning method
Developing parenting and life skills
Often, Case Managers attend court hearings with clients, advocating for them and ensuring their voices are heard.
Throughout this three-year process, Case Managers provide essential, practical assistance and long-term emotional support to women who are making fundamental changes in their lives. This is a thoughtful and caring process. Clients are not asked to leave the program if they experience setbacks.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) specific clients require specialized support as typical interventions that rely on verbal approaches, abstract thinking, memory, and classic reward and consequence techniques are often unsuccessful. PCAP’s Case Managers are specially trained to support FASD clients with approaches designed to improve their outcomes.
In addition to individualized support, PCAP also reaches out to community organizations to ensure local service providers understand how to work most effectively with their clients.
Working on both sides of this equation, PCAP creates a broader and more effective impact for each family and for the community as a whole.
The PCAP program has proven to provide cost savings to our communities, including:
Savings from reduced dependence on child welfare
Savings from fewer subsequent alcohol- and drug-exposed infants
Reduced dependence on public assistance
Reductions in subsequent birth rates for mothers on Medicaid
Increased employment
Increased levels of education
This Program Serves:
Pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders
Women who abused alcohol and/or drugs during pregnancy
Women who have a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Women who are ineffectively connected to community services
PCAP Program Goals
● Help mothers with substance use disorders build and maintain healthy, independent family lives.
● Prevent future births of drug and alcohol exposed children.
● Assure that children are in safe, stable home environments and receiving appropriate health care.
After three years of work with a PCAP Case Manager:
92%
Clients completed alcohol/drug treatment programs.
76%
Clients with at least one period (6 months or more) of sustained abstinence from drug/alcohol use.
68%
Mothers are using family planning methods regularly.
80%
Children are living with their own families.
68%
Families are in permanent, stable housing.
92%
Children are receiving well-childcare.