National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare

Who We Are

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) is a service of the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau's Office on Child Abuse and Neglect.

How We Can Help

NCSACW works to develop knowledge and provide technical assistance (TA) to Federal, State and local agencies and Tribes to improve outcomes for families with substance use disorders in the child welfare and family court systems.

Technical Assistance
NCSACW helps develop cross-system partnerships and practice changes to address the issues of substance use disorders among families in the child welfare system. All requests for TA are coordinated with CSAT and ACF. A limited amount of on-site TA is provided at no charge based on availability and application process. Areas of TA include:

Connecting individuals with resources, including publications, journal articles, research, and statistics.
Consulting expertise on screening and assessment for family engagement, retention and recovery.
Presenting at conferences
Facilitating clinical and policy workgroups of substance abuse and child welfare staff and judicial officers.
Assisting in the development of interagency protocols and strategic plans.
Assisting States in preparing for their Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) and developing their Program Improvement Plans (PIPs).
Answering questions and making referrals to other experts in the field.
In-depth TA is provided to a limited number of sites selected through a solicitation process.

Information Gathering and Dissemination

NCSACW staff maintain an extensive library of resources on the intersection of alcohol and other drug, child welfare/Tribal child welfare, and family court systems.

Web-Based Services and Tutorials
A NCSACW website, www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov, is available to provide a wide range of on-line resources. In addition, NCSACW is developing a series of four online tutorials:

Understanding Child Welfare and the Dependency Court: A Guide for Substance Abuse Treatment Professionals. (Available Now)
Understanding Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery: A Guide for Child Welfare Workers. (Available Now).
Understanding Substance Abuse and Child Welfare Issues: A Guide for Judicial Officers. (Anticipated Summer 2005)
Understanding Substance Abuse and Child Welfare Issues: A Guide for Legislators. (Anticipated Spring 2006)

Biennial Conference

NCSACW conducts a biennial national conference. The second National Conference on Substance Abuse, Child Welfare and the Dependency Courts will be held in October 2006.

For More Information

Address:	4940 Irvine Boulevard Suite 202 Irvine, CA 92620
Phone:	(714) 505-3525
Fax:	(714) 505-3626
E-Mail:	ncsacw@samhsa.gov
Web site:	http://www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov
Contact:	Nancy Young, Director Lani Daly, TA Coordinator

Return to the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network