B5 - CARES: Safely Diverting Entry into Foster Care through the Creation of a New Level of Care on the Front End of the Child Welfare Continuum: A 10-Year History of Positive Outcomes

An overview of the CARES program’s pioneering efforts as an established child abuse prevention and diversion program—with a 10-year history of successfully diverting entry into foster care while keeping children and families safe and together at home and in the community—will be presented. The implementation science used to scale the program along with a review of the history, research, outcomes and evidence will be outlined. A crosswalk of CARES with the Family First Prevention Services Act will be discussed. CARES cost savings with better outcomes and strategies to implement and sustain the program with return on investment will be presented.

Presenters: Valerie Holmes, Brevard Family Partnership, Melbourne, FL; Patricia Nellius, Breakthrough 365 Consulting, Melbourne, FL; and Stacy Brown, The House Next Door, Deland, FL