6-Step Process for Developing New Programs

Creating a Family follows a 6-step process when developing new programs. This process is outlined below, along with an example of our Prenatal Exposure Training for Foster, Adoptive, and Kinship Parents.

1. LISTEN to Discover Needs

Creating a Family creates programs that respond to identified needs. When considering the prenatal substance exposure training, we reached out to the foster, adoptive, and kinship parents that participate in our Facebook Support Group and asked our members about their children and prenatal substance exposure. We also asked experts in the field and researched how children in foster care are impacted. With an estimated 75%+ of children in foster care impacted by prenatal substance exposure, we determined there was a need to help inform parents and to provide strategies to help these parents support their children.

2. CREATE the New Program

Dawn Davenport, Executive Director, and Sarah Moser, Training Developer, worked together over several months to research and design the content that would be included in the training. We worked with our videographer to capture interviews with several experts in the field, including Dr. Robin Gurwitch, with Duke University, Dr. Leon Coleman, with the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and Dr. Bill Allen with the Fullerton Genetics Center. Sarah then worked with our staff to create the three-part 5-hour training that included a video to guide the participants, discussion prompts, and a handbook with strategies. A distinction of this training is the facilitated discussion that is included in every session. The full group and age-specific breakouts encourages discussion among the participating parents. These discussions directly contribute to the shift in mindset toward these children from “they won’t” do what is needed to “they can’t” because of the impact of prenatal exposure on the brain.

3. PILOT the New Program

In 2022 and 2023, Creating a Family ran two pilots for the Prenatal Substance Exposure Training for Parents. All trainings were delivered online free of charge for participants. We offered a Thursday evening and a Saturday morning training for each session. We trained approximately 160+ parents between September 2022 and December 2023.

4. EVALUATE Effectiveness

Creating a Family worked with Kate Norwalk, Associate Professor at North Carolina State University to complete two randomized control trials (RCT) of the pilot programs. Dr. Norwalk worked with our Associate Director, Jamie Gilmore, to create a pre-pilot and post-pilot survey.

The 2022 cohort of participants in the intervention group produced the following results over the control group.

5. IMPROVE the Program

After delivering the training in 2022 and 2023 and reviewing the participant feedback, Sarah Moser worked with staff to improve the training before delivering it in 2024. The pilot program included age-specific strategies for supporting children with prenatal substance exposure. To encourage better understanding of the impact of prenatal substance exposure on different ages, we updated the session 3 training to be age-specific. Now the sessions include:

6. DISTRIBUTE

In 2024, with support from the Jockey Being Family® Foundation, we will offer all five sessions of the Prenatal Substance Exposure Training for Parents three times throughout the year. The training will be free and available to foster parents throughout the US. We will also train families with agencies that buy the training.