StarParent

StarCare’s StarParent Program coordinates with community agencies to help pregnant and postpartum women obtain the resources needed for mothers and their children at no cost.

The program also provides community-based, gender-specific intervention services, at no cost, to parenting males and expecting fathers who are at risk for involvement, or who are currently involved, with the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) who have a substance use disorder (SUD) or who are at risk of developing a SUD.

Services Provided

• Evidence-based parenting and substance use education to schools, community agencies, and individuals that includes:
  • Reproductive health
  • Fetal & child development
  • HIV and STDs
  • Nurturing parenting values
• Coordination of services with other community agencies to promote health and well-being of the individual and family
• Substance use screening and assessment to identify issues related to alcohol and drugs
• Linkage to community resources such as housing, transportation, daycare, food, clothing and many other necessities
• Referrals to cooperating agencies for help with prenatal-postpartum needs, counseling, employment, clothing, and additional needs
• Alternative activities – including picnics, games, arts and crafts, and trips to museums and libraries – focused on helping families address communication, family roles, and stress management while supporting family relationships

To Qualify for Parenting Awareness & Drug Risk Education

Individuals Must:

• [Women] Be pregnant or postpartum (includes the period from birth through 18 months of the infant)
• [Males] Be referred by the DFPS or at risk for DFPS involvement who are identified as being at risk of having, or who have, a SUD and who have children under the age of six.
• Live in one of the 41 counties of Region 1

• Region 1: Armstrong, Bailey, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Cochran, Collingsworth, Crosby, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Donley, Floyd, Garza, Gray, Hale, Hartley, Hall, Hansford, Hemphill, Hockley, Hutchinson, King, Lamb, Lipscomb, Lubbock, Lynn, Moore, Motley, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, Terry, Wheeler and Yoakum
• Have SUD risk factors including:
  • Teen pregnancy (including females through age 19);
  • Current or past involvement with DFPS or other child protective services (CPS) agencies;
  • Current or past use/abuse of, or dependence on, alcohol and/or drugs;
  • Current or past domestic violence;
  • Current or past mental health problems, especially perinatal mood disorders;
  • Living in a household with a person who abuses alcohol or drugs;
  • Current or past history of sexual, emotional, or physical abuse;
  • Insufficient, late (third trimester), or no prenatal care; or
  • Financial distress