Oklahoma Multi-Site Family Drug Court Model Standards Study, 2013-2025 (ICPSR 39505)

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The project was divided in seven sub-studies:

Sub-Study 1: Assessing Substance Use Treatment as a Mediator in Family Treatment Court Outcomes

This study sought to use inverse probability weighting to reduce selection bias and generate estimates of the effects of FTC participation on treatment completion and reunification in an attempt to more closely approximate a randomized controlled trial. Additionally, mediation analysis was applied to examine whether the effect of FTC participation on reunification is explained by its success in increasing treatment completion among caregivers.

This study had the following three research questions:

1. What is the effect of FTC participation on likelihood of substance use treatment completion?
2. What is the effect of FTC participation on likelihood of family reunification?
3. To what extent does treatment success mediate the effect of FTC participation on reunification likelihood?

Sub-Study 2: Assessing Addiction Severity as a Moderator of Family Treatment Court Outcomes

This study examined whether the impact of FTC participation on the likelihood of family reunification is moderated by the severity of a caregiver's substance use addiction. Two secondary outcomes were also examined in an attempt to provide additional context about children's experiences following removal: permanency (any legal permanency, including reunification, adoption, or guardianship) and alternative permanency (adoption or guardianship only). It was the intent for findings to help clarify which families benefit from FTC programs, and whether some families benefit more than others when compared to the traditional child welfare court process. It was also the hope that results may inform the potential utility of a severity measure to support FTC screening and referral decisions by helping identify families most likely to benefit from the intensive support offered through FTC program.

This study had the following three research questions:

1. How does the effect of FTC participation on likelihood of reunification differ by caregiver addiction severity, and which severity group or groups experience the greatest benefit from FTC participation?
2. How does the effect of FTC participation on permanency vary by caregiver addiction severity?
3. How does the effect of FTC participation on alternative permanency vary by caregiver addiction severity?

Sub-Study 3: Family Treatment Court Cost Analysis

The purpose of this sub-study was to understand whether family treatment court (FTC) participation was associated with cost offset, or savings, resulting from less foster care utilization on average. To accomplish this purpose, this study had two primary aims. One, to calculate the average "days saved" in foster care for FTC participants compared to traditional deprived court (TDC) comparison cases. Two, to determine the costs incurred or offset as a result of differences in foster care utilization.

This study had the following two research questions:

1. How many days in foster care were saved, on average, for FTC participants compared to matched TDC cases, based on time to reunification?
2. What are the cost implications of foster care days saved due to earlier reunification among FTC participants?

Sub-Study 4: Development and Pilot Testing of the Model Standards Implementation Scale (MSIS)

In 2019, the Family Treatment Court Best Practice Standards (the Standards) were published in an attempt to clarify attributes of FTC programs associated with superior child, caregiver, and family outcomes. This study aimed to develop an instrument (the Model Standards Implementation Scale; "the MSIS") that stakeholders can use to assess implementation of the Standards by individual FTCs. This study had three primary objectives: (1) document the development process of the MSIS, (2) evaluate its psychometric properties, including inter-rater reliability (IRR), internal consistency, and face, content, and known-groups validity, (3) present findings from pilot testing across multiple sites. This study aimed to help FTC stakeholders systematically evaluate and enhance their programs' alignment with best practices.

This study had the following four research questions:

1. What is the inter-rater reliability (IRR) of the MSIS?
2. To what extent does the MSIS demonstrate internal consistency?
3. To what extent does the MSIS demonstrate face, content, and known-groups validity?
4. What are the implementation levels of different standards across courts?

Sub-Study 5: Key Family Treatment Court Practices Associated with Reunification

This study examined the relationship between the implementation of the Standards and reunification in child welfare cases. This study sought to quantify the association between each best practice provision outlined in the Standards and reunification outcomes, in an attempt to identify ten key provisions that most strongly predict family reunification, with the hope that implementing these practices may help FTCs maximize their effectiveness in supporting participants and their families.

This study had the following two research questions:

1. What is the association between the level of implementation of each FTC best practice provision and family reunification?
2. Which FTC best practice provisions are most strongly associated with family reunification?

Sub-Study 6: Survey Findings of Caregivers with Maltreatment Cases

This study aimed to explore the baseline characteristics of caregivers involved in child maltreatment cases, with a focus on comparing participants in FTCs to those in traditional deprived courts TDCs. Specifically, the researchers sought to understand both the demographic profiles and clinical characteristics of these populations, examining differences in substance use patterns, mental health status, and trauma symptoms between FTC and TDC participants. Surveys were administered at the time of initial appearance hearings in order to establish baseline differences between caregivers who ultimately chose to participate in FTCs versus those who proceeded through traditional child welfare court process (TDCs).

This study had the following two research questions:

1. What are the demographic and descriptive characteristics of FTC participants compared to TDC participants?
2. How do FTC participants compare to TDC participants in terms of substance use, mental health, and trauma symptoms?

Sub-Study 7: Assessing Cross-systems Collaboration as a Predictor of Implementation Success

The aim of this study was to identify factors that support or hinder implementation of the Standards.It was guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CIFR), a theory on the science of implementation. The CFIR outlines five domains said to influence implementation outcomes in healthcare and social service settings: intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting, characteristics of individuals, and implementation process. Based on the CFIR, the study examined whether the capacity for collaboration at the professional-level (i.e., interprofessional collaboration) and agency-level (i.e., interagency collaboration) were associated with the successful implementation of the Standards.

This study had the following two research questions:

1. Is capacity for interprofessional and interagency collaboration associated with the extent of implementation of best practice standards?
2. What are the relative contributions of interprofessional and interagency collaboration capacities to the implementation of best practice standards?

Study Design View help for Study Design

The project was divided in seven sub-studies:

1. Sub-Study 1: Assessing Substance Use Treatment as a Mediator in Family Treatment Court Outcomes

Data were collected from six counties with operational FTCs from 2018 to 2022. Three administrative data sources were linked to generate a sample of dyadic records that include information on child demographic and case characteristics, caregiver demographic and substance use treatment characteristics, and FTC participation status. The data sources included: 1) Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) foster care records, 2) Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (DMHSAS) treatment admission records, and 3) a list of FTC participants provided by Oklahoma DMHSAS, which included their FTC enrollment and discharge dates.

2. Sub-Study 2: Assessing Addiction Severity as a Moderator of Family Treatment Court Outcomes

This study examined whether the impact of FTC participation on the likelihood of family reunification is moderated by the severity of a caregiver's substance use addiction. Two secondary outcomes were also examined: permanency (any legal permanency, including reunification, adoption, or guardianship) and alternative permanency (adoption or guardianship only). The findings were meant to help clarify which families benefit from FTC programs, and whether some families benefit more than others when compared to the traditional child welfare court process. It was also argued that results may inform the potential utility of a severity measure to support FTC screening and referral decisions by helping identify families most likely to benefit from the intensive support offered through FTC program. The data sources for Sub-Study 2 were the same as Sub-Study 1.

3. Sub-Study 3: Family Treatment Court Cost Analysis

Data were collected from six counties with operational FTCs from 2018 to 2022. Three administrative data sources were linked to generate a sample of dyadic records that include information on child demographic and case characteristics, caregiver demographic and substance use treatment characteristics, and FTC participation status. The data sources included: 1) Oklahoma DHS foster care records, 2) Oklahoma DMHSAS treatment admission records, and 3) a list of FTC participants provided by Oklahoma DMHSAS, which included their FTC enrollment and discharge dates. FTC site-level budget data was obtained from project partners at Oklahoma DMHSAS.

4. Sub-Study 4: Development and Pilot Testing of the Model Standards Implementation Scale (MSIS)

Court-level implementation data was collected through annual evaluations using the MSIS. Each evaluation assessed the court's implementation of 67 best practice provisions, with one implementation score assigned per provision. The study involved six counties which were the only counties in the state operating FTC programs at the time. Five FTC programs were in operation across the six counties, with one program serving a two-county region. All counties also operated at least one traditional deprived court (TDC). The counties ranged from rural to urban, with population densities ranging from fewer than 30 to over 1,000 persons per square mile. The FTC programs ranged in longevity from 2 to 23 years. Recruitment involved emailing each courtroom's judge with a project overview and description of the procedures related to the evaluation. The sample included 5 FTC programs, 12 TDCs, 14 judges, and 6 treatment providers, all assessed across 5 FTC jurisdictions (3 rural and 2 urban).

5. Sub-Study 5: Key Family Treatment Court Practices Associated with Reunification

Data were collected from six counties with operational FTCs from 2018 to 2022. Three administrative data sources were linked to generate a sample of dyadic records that include information on child demographic and case characteristics, caregiver demographic and substance use treatment characteristics, and FTC participation status. The data sources include: 1) Oklahoma DHS foster care records, 2) Oklahoma DMHSAS treatment admission records, and 3) a list of FTC participants provided by Oklahoma DMHSAS, which included their FTC enrollment and discharge dates. In addition, court-level implementation data were collected using the MSIS. The research team conducted MSIS evaluations across 18 courts, including 5 FTCs and 13 traditional deprived courts (TDCs). The MSIS assessed each court's level of implementation across 67 best practice provisions, assigning one score per provision during each annual evaluation.

6. Sub-Study 6: Survey Findings of Caregivers with Maltreatment Cases

Participants were recruited from six counties with operational FTCs during the study period. Eligible participants were at least 18 years old, had a child in custody of the DHS, and were in the early stages of their child maltreatment case. To ensure that participants completed the survey at the start of their case, they were asked to complete the survey within 60 days of receiving the recruitment flyer, which was distributed at the initial appearance hearing. As a result, participants completed the survey before making the decision to participate in an FTC. Participation was voluntary.

7. Sub-Study 7: Assessing Cross-systems Collaboration as a Predictor of Implementation Success

Purposive convenience sampling strategy was used to recruit child welfare professionals. participants were professionals who held one or more of the following roles:

• A dedicated member of an FTC team.
• A professional in the community who works with children, parents, or families involved with the child welfare system (direct FTC involvement not required).
• A member of a steering or executive committee for FTCs.
• A director or administrator of an agency that serves children, parents, or families involved with the child welfare system (direct FTC involvement not required).

Contact lists for potential respondents were developed in collaboration with project partners at Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OK DMHSAS). FTC teams provide OK DMHSAS updated rosters annually, which served as the foundation for identifying key stakeholders, including steering and executive committee members and agency leadership. This process yielded a primary list of 157 professionals, including agency leaders.

Universe View help for Universe

FTC professionals, caregivers, and their children across the state of Oklahoma from 2013 to 2025.

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Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales

Lloyd Sieger, M. H., Becker, J., Earles, K., Thompson-Wise, K., and Hagain, K. (2023). The development and pilot testing of a family treatment court best practices assessment: The Model Standards Implementation Scale. Family Court Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12739

Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date

2026-04-16

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