Project Overview
The Butler Institute for Families served as the external evaluator for the Colorado Coalition of Adoptive Families (COCAF) for the Adoptive Families Initiative (AFI) a five year demonstrate grant from the Administration for Children and Families Children’s Bureau designed to improve relationship skills, communication, and post-adoption supports for adoptive families. AFI provided training for almost 650 adoptive parents in relationship strengthening skills. In addition to the relationship education component, the project provided direct services to 730 children and 945 adults across Colorado with an array of post-adoptive services throughout the duration of the grant.
Project Timeframe/Years: 2004-2009
Project Summary:
The evaluation consisted of a longitudinal study of over 600 adoptive parents who participated in a relationship-building intervention, using a pre-post-post design. Results showed significant positive changes in communication as a result of the intervention that persist a year later. The disruption rate for AFI clients was almost 16% less than for non-AFI clients in the same counties. It is difficult to say how large of a difference this is, but from a practical standpoint it has promising implications for fiscal savings at the county-level, and provides at least some support that families are more stable due to improved access to supportive services in AFI counties.
Partners:
Colorado Coalition for Adoptive Families: www.cocaf.org
Funded/Sponsored by:
Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau
Contact Information: Robin.Leake@du.edu or (303) 871-6813
