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Casework Practice With Families Affected by Substance Abuse

In working with families affected by substance abuse, child welfare workers begin by engaging the family through a nonjudgmental approach that communicates empathy and acknowledges the difficulty of discussing such an issue. Workers also must be skilled at developing partnerships with community service providers and the courts to build networks of support that will strengthen families and keep children safe. Strategies to increase the effectiveness of child-centered, family-focused casework practice focus on the following issues:

• Preventing child abuse and neglect
• Family engagement and retention
• Cultural competence
• Co-occurring issues
• Responding to substance-exposed newborns
• Permanency planning
• Worker safety

Protecting Children in Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders Author(s): Children's Bureau, ICF International. Availability: View Publication Download Publication (PDF - 0KB) Year Published: 2009 - 114 pages   This manual provides an overview of how child welfare and other related professionals can assist families affected by substance use disorders (SUDs), which also often may be referred to as "substance abuse." It is part of the Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual Series, which is published by the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The manual addresses the nature of SUDs; the impact of parental SUDs on children; in-home examination, screening, and assessment for SUDs; treatment of SUDs, and the role of child protective services ... Understanding Substance Abuse and Facilitating Recovery: A Guide for Child Welfare Workers Author(s): National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare., United States. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Breshears, Yeh, Young Availability: View Publication Download Publication (PDF - 416KB) Order Publication (Free - Add to Cart) Year Published: 2004 - 34 pages   This publication is intended for front line child welfare staff. It discusses the relationship of alcohol and drugs to families in the child welfare system; provides information on the biological, psychological, and social processes of alcohol and drug addiction to help staff recognize when substance abuse is a risk factor in their cases; describes strategies to facilitate and support alcohol and drug treatment and recovery; and explains the benefits of partnering with substance abuse treatment and dependency court systems to improve outcomes for children of parents with substance use disorders. (Author abstract)

Case Management for Substance Abusing Parents and Their Children (PDF - 584 KB)
Price (Ed.)
The Source: Newsletter of the National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center, 12(1), 2003
Addresses parental substance abuse and family reunification, casework practice with parents returning from prison, the power of parallel process in interventions with families affected by substance abuse, and juggling the multiple facets of case management with relative caregiver families.

Children in Substance-Abusing Families
Webb (2003)
In Social Work Practice With Children
View Abstract
Examines the role of the social worker in cases involving parental substance abuse and considerations when providing services and treatment.

NASW Standards for Social Work Practice With Clients With Substance Use Disorders (PDF - 189 KB)
National Association of Social Workers (2005)
Presents an overview of the NASW standards for social work practice, including standards for screening, placement, intervention, and more.

Through the Eyes of the Child: CJI-AOD Tool Kit—Catch the Vision! 20 Recommended Practices to Help Families in the Child Protection Court System With Alcohol and Other Drug Issues (PDF - 430 KB)
Minnesota Children's Justice Initiative (2006)
Recommends best practices for practitioners and supervisors to ensure that abused and neglected children involved in the child protection system have safe, stable, permanent families by improving parental and family recovery from alcohol or other drug problems.

Updated on March 1, 2010