Supporting parents' services access during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Infant-Toddler Court Team Program

Abstract

Introduction Infant-Toddler Court Teams (ITCTs) are a collaborative practice designed to improve timely identification and receipt of needed services for families of infants and toddlers involved in the child welfare system and their families. The goal of the study was to explore the impact of the first year of COVID compared to the previous year, in the context of ITCT support, on: (1) parents’ access to services; (2) parents’ services receipt and access within 30 days and within 14 days from referral; and (3) predictors of services access and receipt.
Methods Overall, 897 instances of services needs were analyzed, 411 pre-COVID and 486 during COVID. Logistic regression models were used to test for differences pre- and during COVID, controlling for covariates.
Results A reduction in service access was found across all services during COVID (OR = 0.2, CI: 0.1–0.3, p < .0001). Nevertheless, if a service was still available, parents were able to maintain similar levels of receipt within 30 days and within 14 days as before COVID. Moreover, a higher percentage of parents in need received mental health services in 30 or fewer days and substance use disorder services in both 14 and 30 or fewer days during COVID compared to pre-COVID.
Discussion This success is notable given the significant disruption to the availability of services and barriers to accessing services caused by the pandemic. ITCTs provided a robust platform for supporting the health and well-being of families with very young children in the face of a severely reduced service landscape due to COVID-19.