Rural Project Examples Addressing Child welfare

Updated/reviewed March 2026

Need: To support parents whose children have been removed from the home so that the parents can make the changes needed for the children to return safely home.
Intervention: A statewide program in Iowa pairs these parents with mentors who have successfully navigated their own child welfare cases.
Results: Participants' children were more likely to return home than non-participants' children, and participants were less likely to have another child removal within a year of the child coming home.

Updated/reviewed January 2026

Need: Improve health and wellness outcomes for those affected by trauma and adverse experiences.
Intervention: A language, traditions, and customs-specific evidence-based peer support model that trains local communities on education and prevention strategies to address and heal the effects of trauma.
Results: Peer-reviewed results show decreases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations, over 50% reduction of trauma symptomology, decreases in unhealthy substance use, and improvements in family and spiritual well-being. Model elements have adapted in Canada and several Lower 48 states.

Updated/reviewed September 2026

Need: To develop a child and family well-being system that provides rural Texas communities with flexibility, authority, and adaptability to improve services and outcomes for children and families.
Intervention: SJRC Texas's division Belong is the lead provider for Community-Based Care (CBC) for Region 8, which encompasses 28 counties. Services include foster and kinship care, case management, and reunification services for children and youth involved in the foster care system.
Results: Since October 2021, SJRC Texas | Belong CBC has served more than 3,000 children and young adults, with almost 90% of youth achieving permanency through family reunification, kinship care, or adoption.

Updated/reviewed November 2025

Need: To support pregnant and parenting women with a history of substance use, mental health, or co-occurring disorders in rural areas of Montana.
Intervention: One Health, a consortium of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), developed a team of "recovery doulas" – individuals who are dual-certified as doulas and peer-support specialists. The One Health recovery doula program offers group and individual services to women and their partners from pregnancy through the first years of parenthood.
Results: A team of four recovery doulas (or doulas-in-training) employed by One Health offer services in 8 rural eastern Montana counties. One Health has also successfully trained and certified 35 Peer Recovery Doulas statewide through their Peer Recovery Doula certification curriculum.

Rural Project Examples: Child welfare