An alternative to foster care for victims of child abuse/neglect: a university-based program.

Two central forces dominated the conception and development of the Parents and Children Together (PACT) project: the need for provision of an in-home alternative to foster care for abuse and/or neglect families and the prevention of further abuse and/or neglect in the family. Wayne State University in Detroit is the site for Parents and Children Together (PACT) project, a contractual service of the Michigan Department of Social Services (DSS). Graduate students provide in-home services to referred families who, due to child abuse or neglect, would otherwise have their child(ren) removed from the home. This family-based work is a one-year cooperative education experience for students interested in professions in the human services. This report discusses the PACT project as a grant operated through the university, the specification of course work associated, and the attraction of students to graduate study with "hands-on" experience. All of these program attributes, as well as the resource of the project for research, make it an important effort for the university. Further, the university has an additional meaningful role with community residents. Beyond university and student opportunities, the DSS and its clients benefit by having broad-based expertise brought into homes on a weekly basis. Annual success rates of keeping children out of foster care are cited along with cost effectiveness. The university's role in levels of prevention in a highly coordinated community effort is indicated.