The opioid crisis has created significant strain on the child welfare system as more children and youth enter care as a result of their parents’ substance use disorders. Several factors are involved in addressing the opioid epidemic at national, State, and local levels, including reducing stigma to increase treatment seeking, increasing collaboration between key stakeholders, and supporting children and youth who enter foster care as a result of their parents' opioid use. Below, find resources to support child welfare professionals working with families affected by opioid use disorders.

A Collaborative Approach to the Treatment of Pregnant Women With Opioid Use Disorders (PDF - 1,520 KB)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2016)
Outlines the needs of pregnant women with substance use disorders and highlights specific policy practices to address these needs.

Opioid Use and Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists & American Society of Addiction Medicine (2017)
Discusses standards of care, including methadone therapy, for women with opioid use disorders during pregnancy.

The Ripple Effect: The Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on Children and Families
Brundage & Levine (2019)
Milbank Memorial Fund
Describes the long-term effects of opioids on child development and family preservation services.

Substance Abuse and Child Welfare Resources
National Conference of State Legislatures (2019)
Provides resources and legislatives overviews about State-level initiatives designed to address the opioid crisis’ effect on child abuse and neglect.

Substance Use, the Opioid Epidemic and the Child Welfare System: Key Findings From a Mixed Methods Study
Radel, Baldwin, Crouse, Ghertner, & Waters (2018)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistance Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
Examines the effect of the opioid epidemic on child welfare casework practice, including increased caseloads and a need for increased collaboration with community partners.

Supporting Families Affected by Opioids
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
Provides resources detailing best practices for linking parents and children with opioid use disorders to treatment.

Webinars
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
Highlights webinars about the intersection of child welfare and substance use, including methods for supporting families affected by opioid use disorders and infants with prenatal substance exposure as well as the following:

Young Victims of the Opioid Crisis
Collier (2018)
Monitor on Psychology, 49(1)
American Psychological Association  
Describes the psychological effects of parental substance use disorders on children and best practices for treating the mental health concerns of these children and youth while in foster care. 

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