Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP)

What Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) does

Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) is an academic research program of the University of Washington, housed within the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute (ADAI) in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Founded in 1991, PCAP delivers a 3-year intensive case-management intervention for pregnant and parenting women over age 18 who engaged in at-risk substance use during pregnancy, with the primary mission of preventing future alcohol- and drug-exposed births. The model combines home visitation, motivational interviewing, structured goal-setting, problem-solving, and the proprietary Difference Game assessment tool to help clients achieve long-term recovery, engage in family planning, and connect to community, social, and healthcare services.

PCAP operates through a network of 19 county-based replication sites across Washington State, each hosted by an established partner agency such as Evergreen Recovery Centers (King & Pierce Counties), Triumph Treatment Services (Yakima), New Horizons Care Centers (Spokane), Brigid Collins Family Support Center (Skagit & Whatcom), Sea-Mar Community Services Northwest (Clark), and Family Education and Support Services (Thurston, Mason, Lewis). Clinical staffing per full site includes a clinical supervisor and 6-8 case managers with a maximum caseload of 16 active families and a recommended minimum of two home visits per month. The technology layer is the DatStat web-based data entry system used for evaluation and outcome tracking, supplemented by a PCAP Training Program, a PCAP Manual, a Pre-Implementation Checklist, and a PCAP Fidelity Assessment for quality assurance.

PCAP is publicly funded through government grants (Washington State Health Care Authority Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, SAMHSA, HHS Indian Health Service) and foundation philanthropy (March of Dimes, Nesholm Family Foundation, Washington Families Fund); no fees are charged to clients. The program has generated over 30 years of longitudinal data with 8 published studies documenting outcomes including 62% abstinence at exit, 60% of mothers caring for their index child, and prevention of approximately 31 FASD cases among 366 clients representing roughly $22 million in net monetary benefit. PCAP has been recognized as Best Practice by AMCHP (2012-2021), listed on the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse (2010-2021), designated on the OJJDP Model Programs Guide, and included in the National Home Visiting Resource Center Yearbook.

Name

Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP)

Legal name

University of Washington Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP)

Website

https://pcap.psychiatry.uw.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) is a University of Washington academic research program delivering 3-year intensive home-visitation case management to pregnant and parenting women with at-risk substance use, operating across 19 Washington State counties through partner agencies since 1991.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Substance Use Recovery Case Management

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Service Coordination / Case Management (IDEA Part C) (EDACAFAK)

Keywords

• Substance use case management
• Home visitation services
• Maternal child health
• Pregnancy recovery support
• FASD prevention programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: Primary funding from Washington State Health Care Authority Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, federal SAMHSA grants, and HHS Indian Health Service funding.
2. Foundation Funding: Funding from Washington Families Fund, March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, Nesholm Family Foundation, and private philanthropy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PCAP is an evidence-informed, intensive 3-year case-management and home-visitation model serving pregnant and parenting women with at-risk substance use during pregnancy. The program deploys trained paraprofessional case managers (maximum 16 active families per case manager) who deliver outreach, structured goal-setting using the proprietary Difference Game assessment, motivational interviewing, and practical coaching while coordinating community, social, and health-care services. A network of 19 county-based replication sites across Washington State implements the model under contract with local partner agencies.

Product overview

The Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) is a single, unified evidence-based intervention model for preventing prenatal alcohol and drug exposure. The core offering consists of the PCAP 3-year intensive case-management model supported by the PCAP Manual (comprehensive operational guide), PCAP Training Program (for replication sites), PCAP Fidelity Assessment (quality assurance tool), and PCAP Pre-Implementation Checklist. The program operates through a network of county-based replication sites across Washington State, using the DatStat web-based data entry system for evaluation and client tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PCAP Core Case Management Model
• PCAP Training Program
• PCAP Operational Manual
• PCAP Fidelity Assessment
• PCAP Pre-Implementation Checklist

Quantifiable outcome

• PCAP prevented approximately 31 FASD cases among 366 clients in a 3-year period; net monetary benefit of approximately $22 million (range $13-31 million)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Family Education and Support Services (Thurston, Mason, Lewis Counties)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013County PCAP site host agency since 2016, serving three counties. Led by Director Shelly Willis.
• Evergreen Recovery Centers (King County)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991County PCAP site host agency operating since 1991. Led by Director Linda Grant.
• University of Washington Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute (ADAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCAP joined ADAI in 2013 to ally with other researchers examining substance use and use disorders. ADAI provides institutional support, research infrastructure, and collaborative opportunities within the UW research community.
• University of Washington Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2021, ADAI joined this department, bringing PCAP under the academic oversight of one of the nation's leading psychiatry departments.
• DatStat, an R1 CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides the web-based data entry system used for PCAP evaluation, client tracking, and outcome measurement across all PCAP sites.
• University of Washington Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit (FADU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal research unit where PCAP was developed. Provides ongoing research collaboration and expertise in FASD.
• University of Washington Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic and Prevention NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUW network providing FASD diagnostic and prevention expertise that complements PCAP services.
• University of Washington School of Social WorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing research collaboration and student training opportunities.
• University of Washington School of NursingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing research collaboration in maternal-child health.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: National addiction treatment provider offering residential, outpatient, and continuing care programs for substance use disorders including women with children. Comparable to PCAP on serving women with substance use disorders and family-focused recovery, but as a broad incumbent treatment provider rather than a home visitation specialist.
• Casey Family Programs: National foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care and supporting children and families in child welfare. PCAP was recognized by Casey Family Programs in 2015 for its impact on foster care prevention; comparable on maternal substance use as a child welfare risk factor and on evidence-based intervention philosophy.

Emerging players

• Children and Families Recovery Services / Kentucky Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START): Kentucky START is an evidence-based peer-mentoring model serving parents with substance use disorders who are involved with child welfare. Comparable to PCAP on target population (parents with substance use disorders), peer-advocate model, and goal of family preservation while preventing substance-exposed births.
• HealthConnect One: Community-based doula and home visiting organization serving at-risk pregnant and parenting families in urban communities. Comparable to PCAP on community-led home visiting model for at-risk mothers, though with a doula/peer-support orientation rather than a substance-use specialization.
• Children's Home Society of California (CHSCA) - California Family Connects: CHSCA operates evidence-based perinatal home visiting models including Family Connects, serving postpartum mothers and families. Comparable to PCAP on intensive postpartum home visitation, maternal-child health focus, and evidence-based replication model.

Direct peers

• Healthy Families America (HFA): HFA is a national home visiting model operated by Prevent Child Abuse America for families with risk factors such as substance use, mental health, and domestic violence. Directly comparable to PCAP on target population (at-risk pregnant/parenting mothers), home visitation methodology, and reliance on state/federal funding streams.
• Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP): NFP is a national evidence-based home visiting model serving first-time at-risk mothers from pregnancy through child age 2 with nurse-led visits. Directly comparable to PCAP on model architecture (home visitation, intensive case management for at-risk mothers) and funding mechanism (federal, state, philanthropy), but with broader eligibility and national scale.
• Parents as Teachers (PAT): PAT is an evidence-based home visiting model focused on early childhood development and parent education from pregnancy through kindergarten. Comparable to PCAP on home visitation delivery, family coaching model, and federal/state funding alignment (MIECHV), though with broader parent-education framing rather than a substance-use focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parent-child-assistance-program-pcap-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP)