Addressing Substance Abuse and Child Maltreatment: The RMQIC

First in a series of articles on the Children's Bureau's Quality Improvement Centers

How can child welfare agencies and substance abuse treatment programs coordinate their services to achieve better outcomes for children and families? This was the issue that American Humane Association's Rocky Mountain Quality Improvement Center (RMQIC) began to tackle in 2001 when the Children's Bureau awarded a 5-year grant to the regional research and demonstration project. As part of the process, the RMQIC awarded subgrants and provided technical assistance to four projects in the western region of the United States.

Program-level evaluations show a number of positive outcomes for each project, including a decrease in the recurrence of child maltreatment, an increase in children returning to or remaining in their homes, and an increase in child and family well-being. Cross-site evaluation data demonstrate that the following program and process characteristics are associated with positive outcomes:

Integrated systems for service delivery
Use of a central case coordinator/manager/substance abuse liaison
Immediate availability of the case coordinator
Skilled, knowledgeable, relationship-focused staff
User-friendly referral and engagement process
Service planning and delivery process that is mindful of the cognitive impairments caused by substance abuse
Respectful but open flow of client information across systems
Environment that supports open dialog across systems
Streamlined access to a variety of affordable services
Integrated funding

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