The massachusetts' families in recovery stay together (first) project will support families in early recovery who, because of their addiction, have mandated child welfare and/or criminal justice…

The massachusetts' families in recovery stay together (first) project will support families in early recovery who, because of their addiction, have mandated child welfare and/or criminal justice engagement and are at risk for child removal. The first project will be the first of its kind to provide an intentional space for families, peers, behavioral health, child welfare, and criminal justice stakeholders to learn from one another and to address obstacles faced by families. The massachusetts' first project has 2 goals: 1) expand culturally-reflective evidence-based peer-led recovery support within the central and western counties of massachusetts to support family stabilization among DCF-affiliated and criminal justice-affiliated families in early recovery; and 2) increase massachusetts' recovery community organizations' (rcos') capacity to effectively support underserved communities to address disparities in treatment and recovery for bipoc, including those engaged with child welfare and/or criminal justice systems. We will target two rural counties for peer-led recovery supports (worcester county and hampden county) and engage in the sharing of lessons learned and capacity building activities statewide. Our grant's measurable objectives for our two goals are: by Y1 month 1, implement multi-stakeholder workgroup(s), inclusive of representatives from rcos, child welfare agencies, criminal justice agencies, and treatment facilities to prepare the first project for central and western counties. By Y1 month 3, conduct training for recovery coaches providing individual and group support for the first project while adopting promising and evidence-based practices. By Y1 month 4, implement at least one weekly recovery coach-facilitated peer group in each of the two counties for families with DCF and/or criminal justice engagement. By Y1 month 4, engage no less than 2 families in recovery coach services (12 by Y1 month 12) to design recovery plans and to support recovery plan implementation. By Y2 month 1, initiate a six-month diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training series with no less than 50% of the soar network rcos. By Y2 month 12, pilot the DEI RCO self-assessment tool with 3 rcos and make improvements to the self-assessment tool based on this pilot. By Y3 month 9, expand the soar network to include at least five additional rcos (established or emerging) that are led by and serve a bipoc community. By Y3 month 9, enhance 100% of moar's public education resources to reflect our communities' diversity and to reflect equity and inclusion best practices. By the third year of our grant, we will engage no less than 44 individuals in family-centric recovery coach services and no less than 110 individuals through recovery groups. We also will engage at least 18 leaders from peer led rcos in our DEI training series.