SPARK Ohio Project
Understanding and Addressing the Impact of the Overdose Crisis on Children and Families
The SPARK Ohio (Strengthening Partnerships and Responses for Kids and Families) Project, funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), uses a community-based support approach to address law enforcement responses to drug overdose, and to understand how Ohio children are affected by the overdose crisis, either by having a parent with an opioid use disorder (OUD), loss of a parent due to death or incarceration, removal, or OUD as adolescents or accidental ingestion.
SPARK will address several knowledge and practice gaps that when filled, can directly contribute to better practices in responses to opioid overdoses.
While first responder deflection (FRD) programs, including QRTs, have expanded nationally, research lags the implementation. A key gap is understanding more about the specifics of FRD program implementation, including more understanding of program training and procedure and how and when practice deviates from policy.
There is a lack of data on the impact of geospatial and population disparities in FRD program implementation. Understanding more about these differences, including rural FRD programming, can assist in implementing a standardized approach that is also tailored to smaller communities’ needs, compared to basing implementation on only metropolitan or urban areas.
More studies are needed on family-specific overdose response to understand the prevalence and factors related to overdose removals, and the process of responding to an overdose when a child is on the scene. Understanding differing responses to child placement linkages following an overdose may guide first responders and partners to the best way to respond to overdoses where children are on the scene.
More work needs to be done in gathering community perceptions and attitudes towards overdose response and identifying linkages to care and services following overdose. Specifically, work should be centered on gathering what community members and those with lived experience hold valuable or harmful following an overdose call to service and a greater focus on the broader range of overdose responders, including social workers, peer supporters and outreach workers.
While first responder deflection (FRD) programs, including QRTs, have expanded nationally, research lags the implementation. A key gap is understanding more about the specifics of FRD program implementation, including more understanding of program training and procedure and how and when practice deviates from policy.
There is a lack of data on the impact of geospatial and population disparities in FRD program implementation. Understanding more about these differences, including rural FRD programming, can assist in implementing a standardized approach that is also tailored to smaller communities’ needs, compared to basing implementation on only metropolitan or urban areas.
More studies are needed on family-specific overdose response to understand the prevalence and factors related to overdose removals, and the process of responding to an overdose when a child is on the scene. Understanding differing responses to child placement linkages following an overdose may guide first responders and partners to the best way to respond to overdoses where children are on the scene.
More work needs to be done in gathering community perceptions and attitudes towards overdose response and identifying linkages to care and services following overdose. Specifically, work should be centered on gathering what community members and those with lived experience hold valuable or harmful following an overdose call to service and a greater focus on the broader range of overdose responders, including social workers, peer supporters and outreach workers.
Design and Phased Approach
This study applies a pre-implementation framework from the Stages of Implementation Change to create locally meaningful strategies and a communication plan that meets the needs of the community. In the pre-implementation phase of a study, the priorities are to identify the high-priority need, engage with stakeholders at all levels of the process, develop adaptations that will fit practice at local levels, and develop objectives, strategies, and persons responsible for moving to the next stage of the implementation of promising practices. Additionally, the SPARK team is dedicated to incorporating the insights and expertise of key stakeholders, including youth and families, law enforcement officers, first responders, and community-based organizations, using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. This approach hinges on active engagement with those deeply connected to the challenges of opioid overdose responses as genuine partners in our research efforts, upholding a commitment to social justice, and fostering co-learning and mutual benefit. The SPARK Community Advisory Board (CAB) assists with refining research questions, shaping data collection methods, interpreting findings, and aiding in knowledge dissemination. Members of the CAB will represent various stakeholder groups, including youth and families, law enforcement officers, first responders, and community-based organizations.
Aim1: Model the process for overdose response and its relationship to child placement outcomes in Ohio
Aim 2: Utilize expert consensus to understand promising practices in overdose response involving children and families.
Aim 3: Assess the interest of key stakeholders in implementing promising practices while understanding what is needed to scale or integrate promising practices according to geographic region – cumulating in implementation plans.
SPARK data identifying prevalence of overdose response programs and key policies and practices may be used in future studies looking at family-specific overdose programming and other factors in child outcomes after an overdose. Implementation plans developed through SPARK can be deployed within communities and monitored over time.