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Toolkit: Carry the Message How Substance Use Disorder Treatment Agencies Can Help Child Welfare Agencies Meet the Safety Needs of Children

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) prepared this toolkit to build capacity in the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and child welfare services workforce to respond efficiently to the safety needs of children when there is substance use in their home. Current substance use trends pose challenges for child welfare systems as they strive to ensure child safety. Examples of these trends include the increased availability and potency of cannabis, more states considering legalizing medicinal and personal cannabis use, increased prevalence of fentanyl in other substances, large numbers of overdose deaths, and the re-emergence or ongoing use of stimulants, particularly methamphetamine.

The goal of the toolkit is to strengthen collaboration and provide training to child welfare staff to better understand the safety needs of children and their parents. The toolkit includes two briefs and a presentation package for SUD treatment and recovery professionals to strengthen their capacity to provide outreach and training to child welfare agencies.

Brief 1: An Overview of Substance Use Trends and Their Potential Effects on Child Safety

Brief 1: An Overview of Substance Use Trends and Their Potential Effects on Child Safety

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2025

Provides an overview of current and emerging substance use trends and their effects...(Read More)
View Document (PDF 1.14 MB)

Brief 2: How Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Agencies Can Partner with Child Welfare Systems to Deliver Training t...

Brief 2: How Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Agencies Can Partner with Child Welfare Systems to Deliver Training to Child Welfare Professionals to Ensure Child Safety

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2025

Considers three main questions for substance use disorder treatment and recovery...(Read More)
View Document (PDF 4.2 MB)

Presentation Package: Advancing a Cross-Systems Collaborative Approach to Support Families Affected by Current Substance Use Tre...

Presentation Package: Advancing a Cross-Systems Collaborative Approach to Support Families Affected by Current Substance Use Trends and Ensure Safety in the Home

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2025

Developed as a resource to enhance collaboration and cross-training partnerships, the...(Read More)
Download Resource (ZIP 94.9 MB)

Find Help with a Personal Situation

Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Locator

To find treatment facilities confidentially, 24/7, please call 1-800-662-4357 (HELP).

To locate general treatment services, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Treatment Locator online or call 1-800-662-4357 (HELP). This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. It is a free, confidential, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a year information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members needing treatment for a mental and/or substance use disorder.

To locate general treatment services, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Treatment Locator online or call 1-800-662-4357 (HELP). This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. It is a free, confidential, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a year information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members needing treatment for a mental and/or substance use disorder.

National Child Abuse Hotline

If you suspect a child has been harmed by abuse or neglect, please call 1-800-422-4453.

If you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect, call the National Child Abuse Hotline at Call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. Serving the United States and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who—through interpreters—provide assistance in over 170 languages. All calls, texts, and chats are confidential. If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first.

If you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect, call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. Serving the United States and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who—through interpreters—provide assistance in over 170 languages. All calls, texts, and chats are confidential. If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first.

National Suicide Prevention Line

For free and confidential support for people in distress, 24/7, please call or text 988, chat 988Lifeline.org, or call 1-800-273-8255.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, help is available and there are options to receive compassionate care. You can call or text 988 or chat 988Lifeline.org. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Both are confidential and available 24/7 to everyone in the United States and will connect you to a trained counselor at a suicide crisis center nearest you.

If you or someone you know are in crisis, thinking about harming yourself, attempting suicide, or harming another person, tell someone who can help right away. There are options to help you cope. Call the toll-free, 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) to be connected to a trained counselor at a suicide crisis center nearest you. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is confidential support, available 24/7 to everyone in the United States.

Contact Us

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare offers free technical assistance to a variety of systems on making policy and practice changes to improve outcomes for families affected by substance use disorders and involvement with child welfare services. To learn more about technical assistance services or if you have a question please email NCSACW at ncsacw@cffutures.org or call toll-free at 1–866–493–2758.

Administration for Children & FamiliesSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
https://ncsacw.acf.hhs.gov

An official website of the Administration for Children and Families and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare