Project Choices – Residential

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Education

Increase contraceptive use to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Parent-Child Assistance Program

The purpose of the Parent-Child Assistance Program is to:

• to help mothers build and maintain healthy independent family lives;
• to assure children are in safe and stable homes;
• to prevent future births of alcohol and drug affected children.

Who is eligible to participate in the Parent-Child Assistance Program?

• Women who abuse alcohol/drugs during pregnancy, are pregnant or up to 6 months post-partum and are ineffectively connected to community services
• Women who have previously had a child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) diagnosed by a physician, are currently abusing alcohol/drugs and are in childbearing years.

Each woman will work with an Advocate from New Frontier for at least 3 years. Advocates assist alcohol-abusing mothers to address a wide range of environmental problems.  They connect mothers and their families with community services, coordinate services among agencies and assist mothers in following through with provider recommendations such as obtaining substance abuse treatment and staying in recovery.

Advocates provide extensive practical assistance and the long-term emotional support so critical to women who are making fundamental changes in their lives. Trained and supervised paraprofessional advocates provide home visitation and intervention to clients for 3 years after enrollment.

Advocates assist clients in:

• Identifying personal goals
• Obtaining alcohol/drug treatment
• Staying in recovery
• Choosing a family planning method
• Child health care/immunizations
• Connecting with community services
• Transportation to appointments
• Solving housing, domestic violence, child custody problems
• Resolving system service barriers

Advocates follow the mother and child for 3 years regardless of who has custody.

• Mothers are not asked to leave the program if they relapse or experience setbacks.
• Referrals from Child Protective Services may include a contract condition that the client participate in PCAP.

After 3 years of work with a PCAP advocate, statistics show that:*

• 88% of clients had completed alcohol/drug treatment programs.
• 83% had at least one period of abstinence from drugs/alcohol of 6 months or more.
• 73% were using family planning methods on a regular basis.
• 76% of children were living with their own families.
• 98% of children were receiving wellchild care and were fully immunized.

*PCAP Client Outcomes (from the University of Washington)