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Heroin and Other Opiates and Child Welfare

Find resources on the prevalence of opiate use and its impact on children and families as well as strategies for treatment and response.

A Hierarchy of Strategies Heroin-Using Mothers Employ to Reduce Harm to Their Children
Richter & Bammer
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 19(4), 2000
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Identifies seven strategies and discusses how they can be applied to treatment goals and measures of success for heroin-using mothers.

High-Dose Methadone Maintenance in Pregnancy: Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes (PDF - 72 KB)
McCarthy, Leamon, Parr, & Anania
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 193, 2005
Assesses the effect of higher doses of methadone during pregnancy and offers treatment suggestions based on the results.

The Maternal Lifestyle Study: Cognitive, Motor, and Behavioral Outcomes of Cocaine-Exposed and Opiate-Exposed Infants Through Three Years of Age
Messinger, Bauer, Das, Seifer, & Lester
Pediatrics, 113(6), 2004
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A longitudinal study of the direct effects of prenatal cocaine exposure and prenatal opiate exposure on mental, motor, and behavioral outcomes of children between 1 and 3 years-old.

Medication Assisted Drug Treatment and Child Well-Being
Lundgren, Fitzgerald, Young, Amodeo, & Schilling
Children and Youth Services Review, 29(8), 2007
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Summarizes findings from more than 100 studies of maternal use of medication assisted drug treatment and offers key recommendations for child welfare practitioners, policymakers and researchers concerned with protecting the safety and well-being of children of opiate-dependent parents.

Updated on November 19, 2008