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Program Benefits' and Outcomes
Family preservation/reunification services similar to PRN for Families have been widely used, replicated, and studied for nearly three decades. There is a general agreement that these services:
- Have an excellent record of child safety and keeping families together
- Provide a wide array of services with emphasis on building skills
- Improve family functioning
- Have shown a significant positive effect on risk factors within the family
- Have shown that 80-90% of children at imminent risk of out-of-home placement are able to remain safely in the home
- Are cost-effective when compared to out-of-home placement costs
Source: National Family Preservation Network/Institute for Family Development
Family preservation, reunification and networking services are unique in duration, intensity, and locus of intervention. The focus of these services is to achieve nationally accepted performance outcomes for children and families. The outcomes of PRN for Families' services are:
- Child Safety
Children shall be safe from abuse and neglect. The goal of child safety is to protect children from harm, prevent abuse/neglect, and reduce risks to their safety or well being.
- Improved Child Functioning
Improved child functioning and recognizing that children have essential needs for care that go beyond child safety is another result of intensive in-home services. Services shall be provided to support and enhance a child's capacity to experience normal social, educational, physical, and vocational development. The assumption is that improved child functioning will result in improved outcomes related to the child's long-term accomplishments.
- Improved Family Functioning
Services support and enhance parents' and families' capacity to safely care for and nurture their children. The assumption is that improved functioning of the family will result in improved outcomes related to child safety and family continuity/family permanency, contributing to positive long-term outcomes.
- Family Continuity/Family Permanency
The best place for a child to grow up is within a family. PRN for Families' services are intended to achieve safety for children by strengthening family and child functioning. When decisions need to be made to remove a child from the home, PRN for Families facilitates this decision-making process in a timely and respectful manner that supports the best interest of the child.
- Family Satisfaction
Families shall be satisfied with the services provided. PRN for Families' services shall be provided according to the needs and satisfaction of the family.
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