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Developmental evaluation of the Safe Babies project: application of the COECA model
1Special Care Nursery, Victoria General Hospital, Victoria, BC, Canada. smarcellus@telus.net
Insights
The Safe Babies project supports infants exposed to substances prenatally and their foster parents. The COECA model aided in organizing evaluation and ensuring the pilot project
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Child Welfare
- Public Health
Background:
- Growing awareness of unique needs for infants exposed prenatally to drugs and alcohol.
- Identified education and support needs for foster parents caring for these infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- Describe the development of the Safe Babies project.
- Outline the project within health, child welfare, and political contexts.
- Detail the formative evaluation process using the COECA model.
Main Methods:
- Project development within existing health and child welfare systems.
- Implementation of a formative evaluation process.
- Utilized the Charting the Outcomes of Education and Clinical Approaches (COECA) model for evaluation structure.
Main Results:
- The COECA model effectively organized evaluative efforts.
- The model helped target efforts for project sustainability and profile.
- The project addressed critical needs for a vulnerable infant population.
Conclusions:
- The Safe Babies project successfully addressed the needs of infants exposed prenatally to substances.
- The COECA model proved valuable for evaluation and project sustainability.
- Integrated approaches within health and child welfare systems are crucial for such initiatives.
Abstract:
The Safe Babies project was developed and implemented in Victoria, British Columbia in response to an increased awareness of the unique needs of infants exposed prenatally to drugs and alcohol and the education and support needs of the foster parents who frequently care for them. This article describes development of the project from within the context of health and child welfare systems and the political environment of the time. A formative evaluation process was designed and organized within the COECA (Charting the Outcomes of Education and Clinical Approaches) model. This model provided a useful method of not only organizing evaluative efforts, but also targeting efforts that might contribute to maintaining the sustainability and profile of the pilot project.
