Examining the Efficacy, Longevity, and Impact of the Kids First I-Cope Program

Abstract

This article presents a modestly edited final report presented to Kids First, a Portland, MEnon-profit that asked us to assess their Intensive Co-Parenting Education program (I-COPE). I-COPE is a unique nine-week court-mandated course for high-conflict, litigating parents. Wepresented this report orally and in writing in May 2012 to members of the staff and Board ofDirectors of Kids First. It was not our goal to make recommendations for change for the I-COPEprogram, but rather to explore and examine evidence about the effectiveness of the nine-weekcourse for parents and their ongoing relationships with each other, their children, and the courts.We were pleased to report that Kids First’s overall mission and its nine-week I-COPEcourse in particularare enormously helpful for the right families, at the right moment in theirdivorce/separation. Moreover, the methods that I-COPE employs to help co-parenting partnerscommunicate better and put their kids first and their own hurt second appear to be highly valued byco-parenting partners. Still, as our paper indicates, we were challenged to bring to the program’sattention problem areas where small changes might offer large improvements in the outcome of thecourse for future participants.As students ofsociology, government, and gender studies, we benefited enormously fromhaving been able to undertake field research and to work closely with an organization that has takenremarkable strides to affect real change in the adversarial process of divorce andseparation. KidsFirst gave us the unusual chance to work as research partners and consultants, as well as theopportunity to speak candidly with program participants, attorneys, judges, magistrates, and KidsFirst staff about challenging issues in the state of Maine and around the country. We will draw fromthe invaluable lessons that we have learned from the experience of applying our research skills in apolicy and practice setting as we pursue future careers as policy makers and legal advocates.