With support from the Institute for Child Success, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) studied the feasibility of using Pay for Success, an innovative financing mechanism, to improve outcomes for children and families through the expansion of Oklahoma County’s Family Drug Treatment Court (FDTC) and two-generational support services. Pay for Success (PFS) financing, also called “Social Impact Bonds,” can bring new resources, new partners, and a new focus on outcomes to early childhood services. Oklahoma County was one of two jurisdictions selected to receive technical assistance from ICS in 2017 through the U.S. Social Innovation Fund’s PFS program. In addition to Oklahoma’s FDTC, the feasibility study focused on the following four programs:

• Attachment and Biobehavioral Catchup (ABC)
• Celebrating Families (CF!)
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
• Strengthening Families Program (SFP)

The study concluded that the use of Pay for Success financing to improve outcomes for children and families in Oklahoma County is feasible on six out of nine indicators.