Training and Staff Development

Training and staff development should be addressed by the collaborative because without cross-training efforts at all levels – policy, administrative, management and line level staff, conventional practice will deepen the division between key players in the system.

Training Materials

• Protecting Children in Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders
  User Manual Series
  Children's Bureau, ICF International (2009)
  The manual addresses the nature of substance use disorders (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 (PDF 1.2 MB)
  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.
• Pathways to Collaboration. Factors that Help and Hinder Collaboration between Substance Abuse and Child Welfare Fields (PDF 374 KB)
  Drabble, Osterling, Tweed & Pearce 2008
  Curriculum from the California Social Work Education Center at San Jose State University School of Social Work provides a review of key research literature related to cross-systems collaboration between substance abuse and child welfare fields as well as promising models for collaborative practice.
• Case Management for Women with Substance Use Disorders (PDF 269 KB)
  Reviews approaches to case management for persons in treatment and recovery
• The Child Welfare-Substance Abuse Connection: A Compendium of Training Curricula and Resources
  Provides information about currently available training curricula addressing the linkages between child welfare and substance abuse.
• Linking Child Welfare and Substance Abuse Treatment: A Guide for Legislators
  Developed by the National Conference of State Legislators for members addressing cross-systems issues

Training and Staff Development – State Examples

• Colorado Substance Abuse Training for Child Welfare Workers - Proposed Regulations (PDF 30 KB)
• Michigan Evaluation and Research Inventory (PDF 64 KB)
• Minnesota Training Plan (PDF 64 KB)
• New York Partnership for Family Recovery, Training Plan (PDF 170 KB)