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Collaboration With Substance Abuse Services

Find resources and information about collaboration between public child welfare agencies and substance abuse service providers to improve services for children, youth, and families.

• State and local examples

Synthesis of Findings : Substance Abuse Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations. Author(s): James Bell Associates Availability: View Publication Order Publication (Free - Add to Cart) Year Published: 2005 - 35 pages   Since 1996, four States have implemented substance abuse waiver demonstrations: Delaware, New Hampshire, Illinois, and Maryland. Findings from Delaware and Illinois are summarized in this report. Findings from New Hampshire are incomplete; and Maryland obtained no data on the outcomes of its demonstration. The use of the title IV-E waiver demonstrations to implement substance abuse projects reflects a growing national realization that the substance abuse issues of parents must be addressed to decrease the incidence of out-of-home placement, reduce lengths of stay of children in out-of-home placement, and reduce the cost associated with foster care. These demonstrations have provided States ... A Review of the Four Child Welfare IV-E Waivers Related to Substance Abuse Services in Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Illinois (PDF - 52 KB) Children and Family Futures & Cornerstone Consulting Group (2002) Identifies lessons learned from four States that received Title IV-E waivers to establish substance abuse services for parents of children in the child welfare system. Synthesis of Cross System Values and Principles: A National Perspective (PDF - 132 KB) National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare Consortium (2007) Presents shared values and guiding principles designed to inform collaborative efforts to improve systems and practices for families with substance use disorders who are involved in child welfare and family judicial systems.

Child and Family Services Reviews Fact Sheet for Substance Abuse Treatment Professionals
Children's Bureau (2007)
Discusses the purpose of the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) and opportunities for the involvement of substance abuse treatment professionals in the process.

Integrating Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Other Agencies in a Continuum of Services
Howell, Kelly, Palmer, & Mangum
Child Welfare, 83(2), 2004
View Abstract
Presents a comprehensive strategy framework for integrating mental health, child welfare, education, substance abuse, and juvenile justice system services.

Linking Child Welfare and Substance Abuse Treatment: A Guide for Legislators: Executive Summary
National Conference of State Legislatures (2000)
Discusses the challenges of parental substance abuse for child welfare agencies and the role legislators can play in ensuring the safety, permanency, and well-being of children who are in the child welfare system because of their parents' drug and alcohol problems.

Multi-Level Influences on the Practice of Inter-Agency Collaboration in Child Welfare and Substance Abuse Treatment
Smith & Mogro-Wilson
Children and Youth Services Review, 29(4), 2007
View Abstract
Examines services received by a large sample of serious adolescent offenders in order to determine the effectiveness of an interagency collaboration to provide services.

Navigating the Pathways: Lessons and Promising Practices in Linking Alcohol and Drug Services With Child Welfare: Executive Summary of Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) Series 27 (PDF - 89 KB)
Children and Family Futures, Inc. (2002)
Describes seven sites across the country that have implemented programs to address the intersection of substance abuse and child welfare services.

No Safe Haven: Children of Substance-Abusing Parents (PDF - 989 KB)
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (1999)
Explores the relationship between parental substance abuse and child maltreatment, and describes various initiatives used by child welfare agencies and the courts to provide a safe living arrangement for children affected by alcohol and drug addiction.

Opportunities for Collaboration Across Human Services Programs (PDF - 342 KB)
The Finance Project (2003)
A concise overview of some of the major human service programs administered at the State and local level and a discussion of the interdependence of those programs, their common goals, and the way in which those programs can work together.

Protecting Children in Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders

A Review of Alcohol and Other Drug Issues in the States' Child and Family Services Reviews and Program Improvement Plans (PDF - 463 KB)
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (2005)
Highlights the substance abuse issues included in the Child and Family Services Reviews and Program Improvement Plans in the reports of 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Safe and Sound: Models for Collaboration Between the Child Welfare and Addiction Treatment Systems (PDF - 582 KB)
Arthur Liman Policy Institute, Legal Action Center (2003)
Examines policy and practice issues affecting parents with addictions and their children and presents a model for addressing addiction among families involved in the child welfare system.

Substance Abuse Interventions for Parents Involved in the Child Welfare System: Evidence and Implications (PDF - 302 KB)
Bay Area Social Service Consortium (2006)
Evidence for Practice in Child Welfare, 4, 2006
Reviews interventions for substance-abusing parents in the child welfare system and collaborative models between the child welfare and substance abuse systems.

Treating Substance Abuse in the Child Welfare System (PDF - 80 KB)
National Conference of State Legislatures (2004)
Describes the experiences of three States in implementing programs to address the needs of caregivers who have substance abuse problems.

Updated on February 2, 2010