Nationally, nearly half (49%) of all children removed from their parents’ home due to maltreatment subsequently return to live with their parents. However, families struggle to stay together after reunification, with between 20% and 40% of children re-entering foster care within 5 years (Font et al., 2018; Lee et al., 2012). Catawba County in North Carolina, recognizing that families often face multiple challenges and can benefit from an advocate and coach to help them build internal capacity and resilience, developed the Success Coach post-reunification program. Success Coaches work with families after a child is reunified with their family to help stabilize, build resiliency, and other protective factors within the family. In 2015 Catawba County expanded this service to five additional counties and initiated a randomized, controlled study, using a mixed-methods design, including both outcome and implementation components. Research questions focused on: 1) if children in families that received Success Coach services are less likely to be reported for subsequent maltreatment; 2) if children in families that received Success Coach services are less likely to re-enter care/return to agency custody; 3) if children in families that received Success Coach services are more likely to experience positive well-being; 4) factors that play a role in families’ decisions to participate in Success Coach services; and 5) other contextual factors, such as other services available in the community, that might affect outcomes.

Referrals to the study, as well as enrollment in and uptake of services, were lower than anticipated, resulting in a smaller than expected sample with not enough power to detect statistically significant differences between treatment and control groups. This article presents descriptive information on the 25 families that enrolled and received Success Coach services and 38 families in a control group using data from baseline and follow-up surveys and administrative data to examine safety, placement stability, and well-being. In addition, information gathered from focus groups and interviews with program staff and families enrolled in the study was used to understand perceptions of the service, as well as facilitators and barriers to implementation. Nine children (45%) in the treatment group and 21 children (60%) in the control group were the alleged victim of a maltreatment allegation made after the family agreed to participate in the study. One child in the treatment group (5%) and two children in the control group (6%) re-entered care during the study period, with the rest remaining at home. Approximately half the families in both groups reported similar or improved protective factors from baseline to follow-up. Parents were reluctant to engage with Success Coach partly due to prior negative experiences with child welfare services. Parents who did choose to work with a Success Coach were overwhelmingly positive about the service they received. Success Coaches reported high levels of need among families and low levels of community and natural supports. Lessons learned are presented and suggestions for future research are discussed.

在全国范围内，由于虐待而从父母家中流离失所的所有儿童中，近一半（49％）随后返回了与父母住在一起的地方。但是，家庭在团聚后难以维持在一起，有20％至40％的儿童在5年内重新进入寄养服务（Font等，2018; Lee等，2012）。北卡罗莱纳州的卡托巴县认识到家庭经常面临多重挑战，可以从倡导者和教练那里受益，以帮助他们建立内部能力和应变能力，因此制定了成功教练团聚后计划。在儿童与家人团聚后，Success Coachs与家人一起工作，以帮助稳定，建立适应力和家庭中的其他保护因素。2015年，卡托巴县将该服务扩展到另外五个县，并发起了一项随机对照研究，使用混合方法设计，包括结果和实施组件。研究问题集中在以下方面：1）接受成功教练服务的家庭中的儿童是否不太可能受到后续虐待的报告；2）如果接受过“成功教练”服务的家庭中的儿童不太可能重新接受照料/重返机构监护权；3）接受过“成功教练”服务的家庭中的孩子更有可能经历积极的幸福感；4）在家庭参与成功教练服务的决策中起作用的因素；5）其他可能影响结果的背景因素，例如社区中可用的其他服务。1）如果不太可能报告接受过成功教练服务的家庭中的儿童随后受到虐待；2）如果接受过“成功教练”服务的家庭中的儿童不太可能重新接受照料/重返机构监护权；3）接受过“成功教练”服务的家庭中的孩子更有可能经历积极的幸福感；4）在家庭参与成功教练服务的决策中起作用的因素；5）其他可能影响结果的背景因素，例如社区中可用的其他服务。1）如果不太可能报告接受过成功教练服务的家庭中的儿童随后受到虐待；2）如果接受过“成功教练”服务的家庭中的儿童不太可能重新接受照料/重返机构监护权；3）接受过“成功教练”服务的家庭中的孩子是否更有可能经历积极的幸福感；4）在家庭参与成功教练服务的决策中起作用的因素；5）其他可能影响结果的背景因素，例如社区中可用的其他服务。4）在家庭参与成功教练服务的决策中起作用的因素；5）其他可能影响结果的背景因素，例如社区中可用的其他服务。4）在家庭参与成功教练服务的决策中起作用的因素；5）其他可能影响结果的背景因素，例如社区中可用的其他服务。

该研究的转诊以及服务的注册和摄取均低于预期，导致样本小于预期，并且没有足够的能力检测治疗组与对照组之间的统计学差异。本文使用来自基线和后续调查的数据以及行政数据来检查安全性，安置稳定性和幸福感，提供有关25个注册并获得成功教练服务的家庭和对照组中38个家庭的描述性信息。此外，从焦点小组收集的信息以及对参与研究的项目人员和家庭的采访也被用来了解对服务的理解，以及促进和阻碍实施。治疗组中有9名儿童（45％），对照组中有21名儿童（60％）是家庭同意参加该研究后所指控的虐待指控的受害者。在研究期间，治疗组中的一名儿童（5％）和对照组中的两名儿童（6％）重新接受了护理，其余儿童留在家中。从基线到随访，两组中大约一半的家庭报告了相似或改善的保护因子。家长不愿与成功教练互动，部分原因是先前对儿童福利服务的负面经历。确实选择与“成功教练”一起工作的父母对他们所获得的服务非常满意。成功教练报告说，家庭中的需求很高，而社区和自然支持的水平却很低。