Research and
Current Projects
Promoting Resilience and Wellbeing in Teens in Care: Implementation and Evaluation of an Attachment and Trauma Informed Intervention for Kinship and Foster Parents – Phase II.
Funding Agency: The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) – Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (MHP-IF)
Role: Principal Investigator
Amount: $ 1,257,859
This 4-year project aims to address determinants of mental health and health equity for youth in foster care by increasing intervention accessibility and responsiveness, building community capacity and sustainability, and effecting systemic change in child welfare in Canada. We will expand our current Knowledge Development and Exchange (KDE) strategies and collaborate with the KDE hub to achieve national engagement with health system providers and communities.
To increase accessibility for diverse and underserved populations, we will adapt our Connect program for gender diverse youth, Transforming Connections for kinship/foster parents of gender diverse youth. We will also collaborate with members of culturally diverse populations to adapt and reshape Connect for Kinship and Foster Parents and create culturally safe, relevant, and respectful versions of the program. To do so, we will build on our prior collaborations with Indigenous communities across BC who led an initial reshaping of Connect, naming it Reclaiming Connections. In this phase, by invitation only we will partner with Indigenous practice leaders, knowledge holders, and Elders to consider program adaptations for kinship/foster parents. The nature and scope of program development and implementation will be guided by Indigenous practice leads and community leaders. We will also take a collaborative approach in creating program adaptations for immigrant and refugee families, as understanding cultural knowledge and beliefs about mental health and building trust is essential in supporting youth and families of first- and second-generation immigrants. We will invite community partners and create qualitative interviews for caregivers and service providers to guide program adaptations for Punjabi- and Mandarin-speaking foster/kinship families, followed by the translation of that in Connect for Kinship and Foster Parents corporates the identified adaptations.
To increase father engagement and retention in Connect for Kinship and Foster Parents, we will work collaboratively with foster fathers and their advocates to develop engagement strategies to reach fathers across sites and support their completion of the program.
We will also be working on another primary objective, focusing on engaging partners in the development of an integrated practice model, moving upstream to prevent youth placement in families where risk of placement is imminent. We will assess readiness for implementation, launch pilot groups, assess fit, uptake, and impacts.
Supporting Kinship & Foster Parents Promotes Resilience and Wellbeing in Teens in Care: An Attachment and Trauma Informed Intervention (Phase I).
Funding Agency: The Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (MHP-IF).
Role: Principal Investigator.
Amount: $516,660.00
Our project is the first to implement and evaluate Connect for Kinship and Foster parents. Due to the COVID -19 we offered eConnect Online for Kinship and Foster Familiies. In just over a year, we have ran 9 Connect for Kinships and Foster families across Canada.
Adolescents in foster care are particularly at risk for social-emotional problems during adolescence and into adulthood. One of the most profound inequities experienced by all children placed in care is the disruption of their attachment relationships with primary caregivers, which is a critical protective factor when facing adversity. Extensive research shows that adolescents who lack a sense of connection and security with caring adults are at significant risk for a wide range of adverse outcomes; conversely, a sense of security in relationships is a powerful asset that buffers them against risk and promotes resilience, including strong emotion regulation skills (Allen & Miga, 2010; Allen, Porter, McFarland, McElhaney, & Marsh, 2007). Despite experiences of trauma and loss, children in care can develop secure attachment with their foster parents and this is reliably predicted by caregiver sensitivity (Gabler et al., 2014). The aim of the current project is to establish a strong foundation for implementation of Connect for Kinship and Foster Parents as the first step in determining its fit, feasibility, and effectiveness in sites across four provinces, especially in relation to cultural and gender diversity. The second aim of this study will be an evaluation of mental health clincians and practitioners’ experience of the Connect/Connect for Kinship & Foster Parents group facilitators. With respect to the virtual dissemination of Connect (eConnect Online for Kinship and Foster Parents), the intervention will be delivered in 2 formats: Version 1: Families will be recruited by local mental health agencies. In order to comply with social distancing guidelines, families will partake from their homes. Version 2: Similarly, families will be recruited by local mental health agencies who opt to partner with the host mental health agency to run the groups. The families recruited at each community will join the online group sessions from their respective local mental health agencies where a local coordinator will be present to manage risks and facilitate the running of the group sessions.
Watch the video below to learn more about Connect for Kinships and Foster Parents funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Reducing Risk and Promoting Health Among Vulnerable Teens and their Families in the Context of COVID-19: A Multisite National and International Implementation and Evaluation Study.
Funding Agency: CIHR Operating Grant – COVID-19 Mental Health & Substance Use Service Needs and Delivery.
Role: Principal Investigator.
Amount: $199,625.00
Addressing the mental health consequences of COVID-19 is critical, especially as there are significant and longstanding gaps in the availability and accessibility of mental health services for youth. COVID-19 exacerbates this shortage and potential long-term impacts that will follow. eConnect Online offers a highly promising strategy to mitigate the immediate and long-term mental health impacts of COVID-19 for families nationally and internationally. Like Connect, it is sensitive and flexible to cultural, gender, economic, and other diversities related to parenting practices, family and social dynamics, and expectations about youth behaviour, while also retaining the core therapeutic components underlyning Connect’s success. This project engages an established and highly skilled network of clinical researchers, community partners, mental health workers, agency and government stakeholders. The aim of this research is to evaluate the training, implementation, uptake, client fit, and mental health outcomes of eConnect Online for parents and caregivers of adolescents (ages 10-18) with serious behavioural and other mental health problems. Thus far, we’ve engaged researchers from around the world, including sites in Canada, Sweden, Italy, Australia, China, South Africa, and Mexico, and have trained over 200 facilitators in the delivery of eConnect Online and eConnect Online for Kinship & Foster, with more training sessions currently underway!
