Application of the Evaluation Framework for Program Improvement of START

This study applies the Children's Bureau program evaluation framework (Framework Workgroup, 2014) to the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Team (START) program, an integrated program between child welfare and substance abuse treatment. A cluster analysis of 673 START participants in 420 families identified three subgroups. Intact families retained child custody throughout treatment and achieved the highest rates of sobriety. Despite similar substance use disorders and loss of parental custody, group two was mostly reunified and group three was rarely reunified. Group differences in trends suggest a need for additional and innovative strategies to support program improvement.