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Protecting Children in Substance-Abusing Families
User Manual Series (1994)

Author(s):  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Kropenske, Howard, Breitenbach, Dembo, et al.

Year Published:  1994

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You are in section: Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments 1 - Introduction 2 - Identifying Alcohol and/or… 3 - Chemically Involved Parents:… 4 - Children of Chemically… 5 - Reporting Child Maltreatment… 6 - Comprehensive Family… 7 - Juvenile Court Involvement… 8 - Innovative Approaches to… Conclusion Appendix I - The Nature of… Appendix II - Sample Medical… Appendix III - Sample Interagency… Notes Glossary of Terms Selected Bibliography Other Resources Table 1 - Hospital Form For… Table 2 - Sample Interagency… Table 3 - Assessment/Intervention… Table 4 - Assessment/Intervention… Table 5 - Assessment/Intervention… Table 6 - Major Substances of…

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Preface

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was signed into law in 1974. Since that time, the Federal Government has served as a catalyst to mobilize society's social service, mental health, medical, educational, legal, and law enforcement resources to address the challenges in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. In 1977, in one of its early efforts to achieve this goal, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) developed 21 manuals (the User Manual Series) to provide guidance to professionals involved in the child protection system and to enhance community collaboration and the quality of services provided to children and families. The manuals described each professional's roles and responsibilities in the prevention, identification, and treatment of child maltreatment. Other manuals in the series addressed special topics, for example, adolescent abuse and neglect.

Our understanding of the complex problems of child abuse and neglect has increased dramatically since the user manuals were developed. This increased knowledge has improved our ability to intervene effectively in the lives of troubled families. Likewise, we have a better grasp of what we can do to prevent child abuse and neglect from occurring. Further, our knowledge of the unique roles key professionals can play in child protection has been more clearly defined, and a great deal has been learned about how to enhance coordination and collaboration of community agencies and professionals. Finally, we are facing today new and more serious problems in families who maltreat their children. For example, there is a significant percentage of families known to Child Protective Services (CPS) who are experiencing substance abuse problems.

Because our knowledge base has increased significantly and the state of the art of practice has improved considerably, NCCAN has updated the User Manual Series by revising many of the existing manuals and creating new manuals that address current innovations, concerns, and issues in the prevention and treatment of child maltreatment.

This manual, Protecting Children in Substance-Abusing Families, is designed for professionals in the fields of child welfare, mental health, health care, education, law, the faith community, and substance abuse prevention and treatment. The manual is intended to help professionals identify the various forms of parental substance abuse, assess the strengths and needs of families affected by alcohol and/or other drug abuse, develop service plans, and provide intervention. The manual includes a section addressing the identification of substance-abusing clients, a review of the characteristics of substance-abusing parents and the risks to children growing up in households in which alcohol and/or other drugs are abused, a discussion of the legal issues related to child maltreatment and parental substance abuse, a description of approaches to family assessment, and a summary of innovative intervention programs and service delivery strategies.

Protecting Children in Substance-Abusing Families is one in a series of User Manuals developed by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. Initiated in 1977, and now being updated, the User Manual Series provide guidance to professionals involved in the child protection system. Some manuals focus specifically on professional roles and responsibilities in the prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse and neglect, such as The Role of Educators in the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. Other manuals focus on special topics, such as Treatment for Abused and Neglected Children: Infancy to Age 18. Readers are encouraged to review the entire User Manual Series for additional information relevant to their specific profession and/or topics of particular interest.

This manual was developed and produced by Circle Solutions, Inc., McLean, VA, under subcontract No. S-105-89-1730 with Westover Consultants, Inc.

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You are in section: Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments 1 - Introduction 2 - Identifying Alcohol and/or… 3 - Chemically Involved Parents:… 4 - Children of Chemically… 5 - Reporting Child Maltreatment… 6 - Comprehensive Family… 7 - Juvenile Court Involvement… 8 - Innovative Approaches to… Conclusion Appendix I - The Nature of… Appendix II - Sample Medical… Appendix III - Sample Interagency… Notes Glossary of Terms Selected Bibliography Other Resources Table 1 - Hospital Form For… Table 2 - Sample Interagency… Table 3 - Assessment/Intervention… Table 4 - Assessment/Intervention… Table 5 - Assessment/Intervention… Table 6 - Major Substances of…

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Updated on December 10, 2007