National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center : Direct Service Programs : Directory : Oklahoma Infants Assistance Program

Strengthening Connections Conference Archive
This conference highlighted the unique parenting challenges among families affected by substance abuse, HIV and/or incarceration, and the importance of the parent-child relationship in a child’s development. More...

Call for Articles
The Resource Center is soliciting articles for the fall 2008 issue of The Source, which will focus on interventions that improve the physical, educational, and psychosocial well-being of infants and young children from families affected by HIV and/or substance abuse. [PDF]

2008 Teleconference Training Series
The Resource Center will host six trainings beginning in April 2008. The topics include the effects of methamphetamine, mental health services for women living with HIV and their children, and working with Latino families. More...

Assessing and Supporting Parenting in Families Affected by Substance Abuse or HIV (2007)
This guidebook provides practitioners and administrators with guidance in assessing, supporting, and strengthening parenting skills and parent-child relationships. [PDF]

National Abandoned Infants
Assistance Resource Center
University of California, Berkeley
1950 Addison Street, Suite 104 # 7402
Berkeley, CA 94720-7402
Phone: (510) 643-8390
Fax: (510) 643-7019
E-mail: aia@berkeley.edu

Oklahoma Infants Assistance Program
CHO 3B 3406
940 NE 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Phone: (405) 271-8858
Fax: (405) 271-2931
Email: Sharon-Mullins@ouhsc.edu
Website: http://devbehavpeds.ouhsc.edu/roiap.asp

Project Director:
Sharon M. Mullins, PhD

Evaluator:
Melanie Page, PhD

Sponsoring Organization:
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Center on Child Abuse and Neglect

Description:
The Oklahoma Infants Assistance Program (OIAP) is a multidisciplinary program that seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of several innovations in service delivery with parents involved with child welfare. Objectives of the OIAP include using a structured yet supportive team approach to provide comprehensive, coordinated services at a single site to families with prenatally drug-exposed infants. Provision of culturally sensitive services to all families is stressed, with an emphasis on recruitment of Native American and Latino families. Elements of the OIAP not only stress substance abuse issues, but domestic violence, family planning, psychiatric and psychological issues, job training/placement, education, sober support development, and life skills as well. In addition, in-home services and intensive case management are provided, as is assistance with transportation. One of the most critical aspects of the OIAP is the focus on parenting skills and child development issues. An empirically validated parenting protocol found effective with high-risk parents will be utilized in addition to supplemental services specific to drug-exposed infants. An additional objective of the OIAP is to assess the efficacy of an empirically validated concurrent substance abuse and trauma focused treatment protocol on treatment participation and sobriety among a coerced population. A random assignment design is utilized allowing for an effective comparison across groups. By emphasizing the important interface between goals of the "woman" with goals of the "parent," the OIAP is successfully helping families reunite, remain together, and reach their full potential. By emphasizing research, the OIAP is helping further the knowledge base in working with these families.