Arizona Families First (AFF)

Funding: TheArizona Joint Substance Abuse Treatment Fund, established by the Legislature in 2000
Partners: Arizona Department of Economic Security (ADES) Division of Children Youth and Families (DCYF); Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) Division of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS); and nine community providers working with four Regional Behavioral Health Authorities.
Program Description: AFF provides a seamless system of coordinated care for parents whose substance use is a significant barrier to maintaining or reunifying the family after children have been removed from the home. It begins with expedited intervention and evidence-based substance abuse treatment through the state's Medicaid system. The service model includes face-to-face engagement, supportive services, transportation, housing, and aftercare services for relapse management, all provided in a culturally sensitive and family-centered manner. The program has five goals: (1) increased timeliness and accessibility of services; (2) recovery from alcohol and drug problems; (3) child safety; (4) permanency for children through reunification; and (5) self-sufficiency through employment.
CABHP's Role: CABHP serves as an external program monitor, conducting program evaluations to monitor AFF's progress toward its goals. We collect and analyze client-level data from the program to produce quarterly and annual reports and annual report summaries.
Partnership Began: 2003
Project Leader: Brian Arthur
Client Voices: "My life has changed totally. I mean, just the fact that I'm able to be a mother again, with nobody really watching over me. I have speaking engagements that I do now, and I reach out to people in my situation, ant that's with the encouragement of the staff at WestCare. I'm able to keep a job. They give you incentives-just your life improving tremendously is incentive enough" - A Mojave County Mother.
Related Links:
AFF-- http://www.azdes.gov/dcyf/first/
DCYF-- http://www.azdes.gov/dcyf/
DES-- http://www.azdes.gov/dcyf/
Legal Documentation of the Joint Substance Abuse Treatment Fund-- http://www.azdes.gov/dcyf/