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  • Substance Use by Parents and Caregivers

Substance Use by Parents and Caregivers

Research indicates a link between parental and caregiver substance use disorders and child maltreatment. While estimates vary, studies show that one-third to two-thirds of child maltreatment cases involve substance use to some degree.1 The following resources provide information on co-occurring substance use and child maltreatment, including their scope, complexity, and impact.  

Are Decisions to Substantiate Impacted by Caseworkers' Perceptions of Domestic Violence or Parental Substance Misuse?
Casey Family Programs (2020)
Presents the results of a study to determine whether caseworkers' perceptions of domestic violence and substance use in the home influenced their decision to substantiate maltreatment. Findings showed the identification of substance use alone increased the probability of substantiation by 150 percent and that the identification of domestic violence alone increased it by 50 percent.

Behavioral Health and Wellness Resources for Children and Families

Series Title
Related Organizations Lists
Author(s)
Availability
View
Year Published
2017
Includes national organizations that provide information and services that support physical and behavioral health of children and families.

Is There a Link Between Parental Drug Use and the Prevalence of Child Maltreatment and/or the Increase in the Number of Children in Foster Care?
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau
Explores the link between substance use and child maltreatment and describes why it is difficult to obtain accurate statistics on the number of families affected by substance use.

Parental Substance Use as Child Abuse

Series Title
State Statutes
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
View
Download (PDF - 615KB)
Year Published
2020
Discusses laws and policies that address the issue of substance use by parents. One major area of concern is responding to the care and treatment needs of substance-exposed infants. Another major concern is addressing the harm that a child of any age can suffer when a parent's use of alcohol or other substances leads to neglect of the child or the child is exposed to illegal drug activity. Full-text excerpts of laws for all States, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories are included.

Parental Substance Use Disorder and Child Abuse: Risk Factors for Child Maltreatment?
Goldberg & Blaauw (2019)
Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 26(6)
Examines risk factors associated with child abuse among parents with substance use disorders.

Prenatal Alcohol and Other Drug Exposures in Child Welfare Study
Ingoldsby, Richards, & Usher, et al. (2021)
Presents findings of a federally funded case study conducted to examine Federal and State policies that guide child welfare prenatal substance use identification and care, including awareness of practices and how information is documented and shared.

State Behavioral and Wellness Resources for Children and Families

Series Title
Related Organizations Lists
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
View
Year Published
2017
Includes State agency website links to information and resources for mental health care services for children and families in all 50 States and the District of Columbia.

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1Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2014). Parental substance use and the child welfare system. Retrieved from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/parentalsubuse/

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