Building Stronger Safer Families In Anne Arundel County

Building Stronger, Safer Families In Anne Arundel County Multi-Family Group Pilot Program

Multi-Family Group Therapy • Tool for families who have children with significant mental health problems. • Ground breaking, evidence-based intervention to reduce child behavior problems and prevent out-of-home placement for high-risk families.

Multi-Family Group Therapy • Targeted children between the ages of 6 to 13 • Held weekly group meetings for 9 weeks • Trained caseworker provided behavioral parent training • Food and transportation were provided for families • Daycare was also provided for younger siblings

Multi-Family Group Therapy • Social worker interns used to: • Ensure families kept appointments • Encourage families ongoing participation • Encourage families to complete homework assignments

Multi-Family Group Therapy We held three rounds of Multiple Families Group, serving 12 families: ● 11 families completed the program(92%). ● Only 1 family did not complete the program after being enrolled.

University of Maryland School of Social Work: Research Partner • Aim: Describe how community-engaged research can advance implementation science. • Demonstrate the types of skills researchers need to develop and maintain community partnerships • AACODSS case study -- effort to partner with child welfare system to improve the quality of behavioral health services for children, youth and families.

Administrator Perspective “[The 4 Rs is] a hands on approach to parenting and helping families figure out how to deal with children, especially with particular behaviors. And a lot of times … we send parents to a class. Kids are nowhere involved. Parents are learning, but that’s not really them then being able to work with that with their child. [With 4 Rs] we do some of these educational components in the household. I think the group process certainly is good. ”

Caseworker Perspective “I feel better prepared. Yeah, I feel better prepared when things come up at visits and I can address them right then and there. And be able to give some ideas and say well hey, implement this, this week when I come back the following week, let me know how that goes and we can work on it. So I feel better prepared as a worker to help my families. ” – Caseworker

Participant Perspective “You guys went from family to family…, you addressed each family individually. You would put on the board whatever the lesson was in the folder. We would all turn to that page, you would start, …, you would go around to each family and take time to address each family’s problem. The other class [referring to previous parenting classes] was more like, okay I’m gonna tell you guys, this is how you fix your family…, You guys actually went around to each family. That made me feel, you know, wanted. Like I’m not just any family. ” – Caregiver

Questions? For additional information about Anne Arundel County’s Multiple Family Group Program, please contact Rachael Maconachy at 410 -269 -4611.