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National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW)
The Child Welfare League of America has been asked to join a consortium formed by the newly created National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW). The program is an initiative of the Department of Health and Human Services and jointly funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) and the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Children Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN).
Several national reports over the past five years have documented the extent to which families entering the child welfare system and the family courts are affected by substance abuse. Substance abuse affects both parenting and the development of children; an estimated 11% of all children live in families where one or more parents abuse alcohol or other drugs; an estimated 40- 60% of children in the child welfare system are impacted by substance abuse.
CCFF has assembled an impressive consortium of national organizations and leaders to facilitate communication among the various service systems affected by substance abuse and child welfare. The consortium members represent the various constituents and stakeholders in the work of NCSACW, including families, professionals and national leaders on practice and policy issues in substance abuse, child welfare, family courts, the Tribes, and policymakers. The consortium members include: The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) and the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA). Danya International will implement the technology aspects of the project including web-based tutorials.
The NCSACW will develop and implement a comprehensive program of information gathering and dissemination, knowledge development and application and provide technical assistance to promote practice, organizational, and systems change at the local, state, and national levels. The focus of NCSACW's work includes six overall goals:
- To effectively communicate among all stakeholders of NCSACW
- To gather specialized knowledge and improve collaboration among the substance abuse and child welfare fields and family judicial systems
- To use the full range of resources of NCSACW to create a widely recognized body of expertise and materials on substance abuse, child welfare, and related Tribal and family judicial systems
- To develop web-based and other technological means of collecting and disseminating specialized knowledge on substance abuse, child welfare, and family court systems
- To use the expertise of NCSACW to assist consumers, families, communities, Tribal leaders, other professionals, and policymakers to improve practice, procedures and policies on substance abuse, child welfare and family court systems
- To improve the effectiveness of NCSACW by measuring its outcomes and gathering feedback from all stakeholders
There are several tasks envisioned for NCSACW to achieve these goals. The work will include: providing technical assistance to states and communities, collecting developing, and disseminating information, conducting regional meetings on special topics and a national conference in the second and fourth contract years, developing web-based access to information and tutorials, and the establishment of a national expert group to develop guidelines and standards on these issues.
For further information contact:
Dr. Nancy Young
Center for Children and Family Futures, Inc.
4940 Irvine Boulevard, Suite 202
Irvine, CA 92620
714.505.3525
Nkyoung@cffutures.com
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