Grants and Contracts Details
Description
The Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) program integrates what is known as best practice in
substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services, child welfare practice, and family preservation services
to deliver a service approach that addresses the special needs of SUD-affected families involved with
DCBS. The overall goals of START include child safety, parental sobriety, timely child permanency and
family self-sufficiency. The counties served by START in FY 2021 include Boyd, Kenton, Fayette, Daviess,
Martin, Boone, Campbell, Jefferson and one other county to be determined.
Objective I: Implement the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) program in collaboration
with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Department for Community Based Services
A specially trained Child Protective Services (CPS) worker is paired with a Family Mentor to
share a caseload of families with the co-occurring issues of substance abuse and child
maltreatment where at least one child is 5 or younger. The Family Mentor serves as a peer support
specialist and brings real life experience to the team. They are a recovering person with at least 3 years’
sobriety and previous CPS involvement. This person is rigorously screened and intensively trained and
supervised to provide START clients with both recovery coaching and help navigating the CPS system.
Reduced caseloads are provided for the START team of 12-15 families per worker/mentor pair. The
program fosters integration between CPS, substance use disorder treatment providers, and other
community partners by addressing differences in professional perspectives that have resulted in
fragmentation of services. The service delivery model provided through START is more frequent, intense
and coordinated. It seeks to intervene quickly upon receipt of the referral to CPS.
Quick access to substance use disorder treatment is established through START. Additionally, there is close
collaboration among CPS and service providers, and shared decision-making among all team players,
including the family. START personnel collaborate with community partners, substance use disorder
treatment providers, the courts, and the child welfare system, all of which are dedicated to building
community capacity and making START work. The program supports sober parenting for meeting basic
needs such as housing, transportation, childcare and intensive in home services.
Objective II: Provide personnel for leadership and oversight of the START program in Kentucky
START administrators provide programmatic consultation with the on-site DCBS supervisor, frontline staff,
and Service Region Administrator. They work with DCBS leadership to review and evaluate outcomes and
statewide expansion efforts. They also provide oversight and consultation to the contracted behavioral
health agencies to ensure START model fidelity.
Objective III: Provide personnel to serve in the capacity of START Family Mentors
Family Mentors serve as team members with DCBS staff in planning, supporting and implementing
strategies for building strong partnerships with community providers to help parents whose children have
been placed in out-of-home care or at risk of out-of-home care placement due to substance abuse issues
within the family. Family Mentors assist the DCBS social worker and family through support of sobriety
recovery efforts of the parent. They escort parents to substance abuse treatment sessions, medical,
educational, social service or mental health appointments. They also coach the parent/family on how to
navigate recovery support, budgeting, community services, and resources, which can include housing,
food, clothing and furniture. Family Mentors communicate with clients, other agencies and the general
public. Family Mentors provide information and referrals to community services while assisting in
Proposed Scope of Work
University of Kentucky, College of Social Work
Training Resource Center
Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) Program
July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
scheduling appointments as needed for the family or child. They create, organize and maintain case files
for the START team and attend committee meetings, staff meetings, agency training and related
conferences.
The Lead Family Mentor position encompasses the responsibilities of the Family Mentor position in
addition to assisting with recruitment, screening and hiring of new family mentors. They also
attend/participate in direct line meetings at each site with START administrators/directors. The Lead
Family Mentor plans/co-facilitates family mentor meetings. They also provide on-site and virtual
onboarding, coaching and support for new family mentors. They serve as first line of communication for
concerns/support for family mentors and remain in close communication with both DCBS supervisors and
START administrators around issues as they arise. They work with DCBS supervisors to complete
performance evaluations for family mentors, provide training and ongoing coaching on START Information
Network (STARTIN) data, and follow up on all aspects of the training plan for Family Mentors.
Objective IV: Develop and implement ongoing virtual service provision plans
Program staff will develop and implement continuity plans for START program services using virtual
platforms and technologies. These virtual service provision plans will be executed as needed to ensure the
continuity of START program services.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 7/1/20 → 6/30/22 |
Funding
- KY Department of Community Based Services: $4,085,000.00
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