Relationship Education With High-Risk Samples: Implementation and Evaluation of Programming for Child Welfare Diversion and Pre-Diversion Populations

This study examined the feasibility of delivering individually focused relationship education services to 209 adults participating in a child protection diversion program designed to prevent removals, and 192 adults receiving services from common agencies. Participants completed “Within My Reach” (WMR) programming through a community service agency. They described individual distress, positive and negative relationship communication, parenting, coparenting, and economic stability before and after WMR interventions. Analyses substantiated both individual and relationship benefit for both groups of participants. Ninety-five percent of children whose participant parents had been in diversion programs remained at home with their families at 6 months post-intervention.