NCJ Number
238880
Date Published
2012
Length
58 pages
Annotation
This report from the Urban Institute presents an evaluation of the District of Columbia's Put Families First program.
Abstract
The Put Families First (PFF) program in the District of Columbia has two primary goals: to prevent out-of-home placement of youth and to serve as a source of support and stabilization for youth returning from out-of-home placement. The program is administered through an evidence-based prevention and intervention program entitled Functional Family Therapy (FFT). This report presents the results of an evaluation of FFT's ability to effectively plan, implement, and execute the tenets of the PFF program. The evaluation also examined the effect of local factors on successful implementation of the PFF program. The evaluation consisted of a review of program materials and manuals, semi-structured interviews with program stakeholders, review and analysis of program performance data, and a review of extant FFT programmatic and outcome literature. The report contains descriptions of the FFT model and the PFF program model, as well as a discussion on the implementation of the PFF program. The evaluation found indications that the FFT for youth at risk of out-of-home placement has the potential for effective implementation in the District of Columbia, and that the program has a strong potential for reducing delinquency and being an effective part of a mix of services for at-risk youth and their families. The report states that future evaluations should continue to focus on improving program initiation, effective implementation of the program, and encouraging program completion by at-risk youth. Tables, references, and appendixes