AIA Best Practices:
Lessons Learned From a Decade of Service to Children and Families
Affected by HIV and Substance Abuse

This monograph was written by administrators of ten originally funded projects that continue to serve HIV and/or drug affected children and families, the director and staff of the National AIA Resource Center, and the Federal Project Officer. The authors, who have met annually since the first grantees’ meeting in 1991, believe that the lessons derived from their experience with this population are worthy of widespread dissemination. This volume reflects a shared understanding that has emerged from careful analysis, discussion, and a willingness to expose to scrutiny work that has gone well, as well as that which has been unsuccessful.

All of the original projects have discovered that many HIV and/or drug affected families are able to benefit from an array of in-home and community-based services; even families with severe psychosocial problems have been able to respond effectively to interventions that are sensitive to their needs. These families have the capacity to change their behaviors and act in the best interests of their children when provided with supportive, accepting, client-driven, family-focused services.

The monograph describes the aims, assumptions, and principles that have guided the ten of the original projects. The intent of this volume is to support the application of the lessons learned from the first decade of experiences and cross-site evaluations to policy development and program planning for drug and HIV/AIDS affected infants and children vulnerable for abandonment and their families. In the process, the reader will become familiar with the broad scope of the innovative, national efforts to achieve permanence for children and will hear from the families who benefited.

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