Project IMPACT Helps Parents with Intellectual Disabilities Develop Skills to Keep Children Out of Foster Care

Article by Maura King Scully, originally published in BU School of Social Work’s IMPACT Magazine (Winter/Spring 2020)

A small percentage of parents in the U.S.—an estimated 2.3% —have intellectual disabilities, yet their children are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system. While child removal and placement in foster care is sometimes necessary to ensure children’s safety, placement is also associated with negative outcomes for children as they transition into adulthood. So, how do we address this? Right now, there is a lack of data on programs that help parents with intellectual disabilities develop positive parenting skills to keep their children safe at home. CISWH researcher and Assistant Professor Astraea Augsberger, PhD wants to change that.

Project IMPACT (Improving Parenting Achievements Together), in Westchester County, New York helps prevent children from entering or re-entering foster care by providing intensive parent training where families need it most – in their own homes. Augsberger is examining the efficacy of the program along with Wendy Zeitlin, PhD, assistant professor at Montclair State University; Danielle Weisberg, LCSW, director of the Children’s Advocacy Center and Child Welfare Services at Westchester Institute for Human Development; and Trupti Rao, PsyD, director of Project IMPACT. The study’s findings will build evidence for parenting programs, while targeting the health inequities associated with race, class, and intellectual disability in the child welfare system.

“There is a lack of specialized programs for parents with intellectual disabilities in the child welfare system, and limited research on those interventions. Through this academic-community partnership, we aim to raise awareness of the need for specialized services and determine the specific components of Project IMPACT that make it effective in keeping families together.” –Astraea Augsberger

“With the right kind of support parents with intellectual disabilities can safely parent their children, reducing rates of out of home placement and the poor outcomes that many children in the child welfare system experience.  As a result of this collaboration, we are optimistic about the possibility that our innovative approach can be replicated in other communities.”  –Danielle Weisberg