NEW Important Research Study

“The Impact of Parents Anonymous® on Child Safety and Permanency”, Children and Youth Services Review, May 2021. Cynthia Burnson, Sarah Covington, Bertha Arvizo, Jun Qiao, Evident Change and Elizabeth Harris, Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation. The study found that parents who participated in Parents Anonymous® were significantly less likely to experience new referrals and new substantiated referrals to the child welfare system within a year of finishing the program than parents who did not participate in the program. The odds of a parent who finished the program experiencing a new substantiated referral were one third as high as those of parents who did not attend the program. While Parents Anonymous® serves a wide variety of parents, most participating parents from those two California counties are at high risk of repeated system involvement and have considerable histories in the child welfare system. Taken in context, the study findings indicate that the program could help reduce the likelihood of system involvement even for this high-risk group. This study adds to previous studies over the past 51 years showing Parents Anonymous® leads to better outcomes for families.

Interventions Relevant to Children and Families Being Served with Family First Funding that Have Been Shown to be Effective with Families of Color: Research Brief Executive Summary. Casey Family Programs, 2021. Parents Anonymous® is highlighted for effectiveness with children and families of color along with other programs rated Promising, Supported, or Well-supported by the FFPSA Prevention Clearinghouse. Parents Anonymous® is 1 out of 13 Supported and Well Supported programs shown to be effective with children and families of color. 

Supported Rating of Parents Anonymous® 

In the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse, Supported Parents Anonymous® positively impacts Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Parenting. Parents Anonymous® is effective in addressing child safety and the prevention of child abuse and neglect and is eligible for matching federal funds in every state Family First plan. Furthermore, Raising the Future | Parents Anonymous® has the capacity to implement, ensure model fidelity, and collect vital evaluation data for any Family First Prevention Services Act jurisdiction. 

Evidence-Based Parents Anonymous®: 

  • Is 1 of only 5 to ensure Child Safety nationwide 
  • Is 1 of only 4 that impacts all three program areas: Mental Health, Substance Use, and Parenting 
  • Reduced subsequent child maltreatment substantiations by more than half as compared to parents who did not use the program, even a year after leaving the Parents Anonymous® program is a proven intervention to keep children out of the child welfare system and ensure child safety by addressing mental health, substance use prevention or treatment, and in-home parenting skills 

For further information on Parents Anonymous® implementation for Family First Prevention & Services Act, complete this form. 

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