Family Navigator Plus: a 5-week education program for foster parents
Building Capacity for Youth Mental Wellness: Feasibility and Acceptability for a Mental Health Family Navigator Model for Foster Parents
This 5-week program tests whether Family Navigator Plus helps foster parents of 6–17-year-olds better understand their child's mental health needs and find appropriate services.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 12 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Northwestern University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Chicago, Illinois) |
| Trial ID | NCT06978959 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Family Navigator Plus (FN+) is a 5-week interventional education program delivered via videoconference to foster and adoptive parents of children aged 6–17 with mental health needs. The program provides psychoeducation and navigation support to help caregivers recognize needs and locate services. Investigators will measure acceptability (satisfaction, barriers, burden), utility (perceived usefulness), and feasibility (eligibility rates, time to complete assessments, self-reported feasibility). Participants must live in Illinois, speak English or Spanish, and have internet access.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal participants are foster or adoptive parents of youth aged 6–17 with mental health needs who live in Illinois, speak English or Spanish, and have internet access for videoconferencing.
Not a fit: Caregivers who live outside Illinois, lack reliable internet/videoconferencing access, care for children outside the age range, or who already participated in prior FN+ pilot or focus-group work are unlikely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, FN+ could help foster parents better support their children's mental health and connect families to services more quickly.
How similar studies have performed: Related family navigator and caregiver psychoeducation programs have shown promising improvements in caregiver knowledge and service linkage, though FN+ combines features that are being specifically piloted here.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Foster parent of a youth between the ages of 6 to 17 with mental health needs * Parent adopted child from foster care * Living in Illinois, United States * English or Spanish speaking * Has access to internet and videoconferencing Exclusion Criteria: \- Participated in the FN+ Focus Groups or PROACTIVE Parent Pilot Study
Where this trial is running
Chicago, Illinois
- Northwestern University — Chicago, Illinois, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Heather J Risser, PhD — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Heather J Risser, PhD
- Email: heather.risser@northwestern.edu
- Phone: 312-848-3019
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.