Children and Family Futures

Are you attending this weekend’s NAADAC Conference? The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare team will be at Booth # 313. Make sure to stop by! Saturday, join Andrea Sivanich and Meredith Russo for Harm Reduction in the Context of Child Safety for Families Involved in Child Welfare to learn about 1) the importance of integrating child safety and family perspective in harm reduction efforts, 2) engagement strategies that build on family strengths and 3) policies needed to support the implementation of harm reduction practices to improve outcomes for children, parents, and family members.

Today is World Mental Health Day 💚

Mental health plays a crucial role at every stage of our lives—from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. It encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, affecting how we think, feel, and act. It also plays a key role in how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

We’re fortunate that new tools, evidence-based treatments, and social support systems exist to help us feel better and pursue our goals.

If you or someone you know is either struggling—or in crisis—please know that help is available. Call or text 988, or chat with https://988lifeline.org/.

🌟 Exciting News from Oregon! 🌟

The National Family Treatment Court (FTC) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) team traveled to Oregon for two amazing events last week! ✈️

Day 1 started with a dynamic team-based training session. Oregon’s state-level partners brought together several FTC teams to 🔹 align with best practices, 🔹 engage in role-based conversations, 🔹 and develop concrete action plans to support families affected by substance use disorders (SUD).

Day 2 continued with a statewide TTA visit, focusing on deeper cross-system collaboration and updating their statewide strategic plan to enhance family outcomes.

We are honored to partner with such dedicated professionals committed to improving outcomes for children, parents, and families. Together, we’re making a difference! 💪❤️

🌟 SAMHSA’s Fourth Dimension of : Community 🌟

Community is essential for recovery. Relationships and connections with others provide the acceptance and encouragement needed to maintain a recovery-oriented lifestyle. This enhances a sense of belonging, empowerment, autonomy, social inclusion, and community participation. 🤝💪

Lenoir County, an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention grantee, consistently finds innovative ways to bring their community together. The county created the Recovery Together Eastern North Carolina (ENC) coalition to unite partners from the justice system, treatment community, child welfare, and other stakeholders. Recovery Together ENC provides resources, education, and prevention services for community members. They created a beautiful mural promoting hope, unity, and the journey of recovery. The mural includes a QR code for community members to receive resources.

The National START Training and Technical Assistance team met with Maryland START teams last month. Staff were thrilled to join the Kent County Department of Social Services celebration marking their fifth year serving families through START.

Congratulations to Kent County!

For more information on implementing START in your jurisdiction, email us at [email protected].

Photo credit: Kent County Department of Social Services

🌟 Finding Purpose in Recovery 🌟

SAMHSA’s third dimension of is purpose. For families involved with child welfare, purpose often emerges as they work toward recovery and achieve family stability goals. 💪

Peer Recovery Support Specialists—individuals living in recovery from a substance use disorder—play a vital role in this journey. They connect with parents, helping them navigate challenging systems while offering the hope and inspiration crucial to achieving and sustaining recovery. 🌈

Together, we can build a brighter future. ✨

Today at the 47th Association of Counsel for Children (NACC), join Children and Family Futures’ National Family Treatment Court Training and Technical Assistance team to discuss 1) how poverty and economic hardship influence child abuse and neglect, child welfare involvement, and outcomes for families affected by substance use disorders; 2) a framework for understanding the problem and selecting strategies that create conditions where families thrive; and 3) innovative strategies that improve how systems respond to poverty.

Attend today’s National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) session with Emily Svoboda and Deena Davis to learn about: 1) the benefits of peer and recovery support programs and how they engage families in child welfare services; 2) strategies to involve peer support specialists in meaningful and collaborative ways; and 3) approaches and strategies for successfully implementing a peer support program.

Are you attending this week's virtual 47th Association of Counsel for Children Conference?! The Children and Family Futures team will be presenting two sessions: 1) Wednesday, September 11 @ 1:15 pm MT: Recovery is in the Community: Utilizing Peer and Recovery Support Programs to Engage Parents with Substance Use Disorder and 2) Friday, September 13 @ 11 am MT: Meeting Families' Basic Needs: Professionals' Role in Improving Social Determinants of Health. Join us!

🏡 SAMHSA’s second dimension of is home, defined as "having a stable and safe place to live." For people in recovery, home is their refuge—a soft place to land, especially on hard days.
A safe, stable home lays the foundation for long-term recovery. Research shows recovery housing leads to: ✨ Decreased substance use ✨ Reduced return to use ✨ Higher employment & income ✨ Improved family relationships

For families affected by substance use, safe housing is critical for both parents and children. It supports healing, reunification, and brighter futures. Recovery happens in the context of families.🏠

🌟 September 🌟

Health is the first Major Domain of , covering disease management and healthy choices for overall well-being.

One area of health that may be overlooked is the importance of pregnant and parenting individuals with substance use disorders. Navigating pregnancy while striving to overcome substance use is daunting. Concerns about judgment and potential legal repercussions are common, but early intervention is key. 🗝️There are resources and compassionate professionals ready to help.

Taking the first step to seek help is courageous! 💪 Inform them about a family care plan, a voluntary, family-centered process designed to provide support. Both parents and children deserve access to comprehensive resources and advocacy.

Encourage expecting parents to explore their options and take the first steps toward a brighter future with their child. Early intervention can make all the difference. 🌈

Why should START continue to grow?

Actually, START state leadership, child welfare workers and supervisors, family mentors, and treatment providers have LOTS of reasons:

• START opens doors for people in .
• START helps support families in their .
• START brings staff, family mentors, treatment providers, and court system professionals together to work in .
• START is a catalyst for changing existing child welfare culture.

Thanks, , for sharing your expertise with us during your statewide retreat!

This September, we celebrate National Recovery Month, raising awareness about substance use and mental health challenges and honoring the resilience of those on their recovery journeys. 💪

At CFF, we support families affected by trauma, substance use, and mental health disorders. With over 30 years of experience and a dedicated team across 23 states, we enhance safety, stability, well-being, and recovery outcomes. 🌏

Throughout September, we’ll spotlight the four pillars of a healthy life: health, home, purpose, and community. ❤️‍🩹🏡💡🫂

We also celebrate the invaluable contributions of service providers who make recovery possible. 🥳

Join us this month as we honor the community and promote effective policies and practices. Together, we can make a meaningful difference! 🌟

💜 August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day—the world’s largest annual campaign dedicated to ending overdose. 💜

Read a powerful, poignant, and vulnerable excerpt written by a mother of four daughters, a wife, a social worker, an advocate, and a member of the Children and Family Futures team on why she has even more passion and purpose for improving outcomes for families fueled by the grief of losing her daughter.

https://lnkd.in/gqPu87Us

Get set for the 2024 Family Treatment Court Practice Academy: Pathways to Prevention!

Register now for Thursday’s “Digital Dialogue” on Intentional Integration: How to Identify and Support Parents with Co-Occurring Disorders.

August 8 | 11am-12:30pm PT | 2pm-3:30pm ET
• Examine the interactive nature of substance use and mental health disorders
• Consider how to identify and support parents with co-occurring disorders
• Integrate strategies to improve outcomes for parents and their children

We’re excited to share our newly developed resources for this course: Five Facts About Co-Occurring Disorders (https://youtu.be/dMFyHDXVbu8?si=7GIGFdlIWRD_yXjv)—for professionals partnering with families affected by substance use. Please watch this 9-minute video prior to the Digital Dialogue for a more complete understanding of this topic.

Register here: https://cffutures.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcuduqpqjkvH90dy7XXdKN_Lm4_q85cBI2E #/registration

Join presenters Surina Amin (Children's Bureau), Stephanie Fitch (Billings Clinic), and Teri Kook (NCSACW) for the 60-minute workshop “Creating Supports for Families and Caregivers of Children Who Experienced Prenatal Substance Exposure.” Participants will learn 1) the evidence-informed programs available to support families and caregivers of children who experienced prenatal substance exposure; 2) supports to enhance the birth family and resource family relationships; and 3) key elements of successful collaboration across systems of care to enhance services to families and caregivers of children who have experienced prenatal substance exposure.

🌟 Greetings from Long Beach, CA! 🌟 The ZERO TO THREE LEARN Conference has arrived—this inspiring conference offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in presentations, connect with speakers, and exchange knowledge with peers! Stop by to engage with our experts, Janelle Stone and Teri Kook. Plus, don’t miss out—join our listserv and explore our valuable resources related to key elements of successful collaboration across healthcare, child welfare, early education, and substance use treatment to enhance services to families and caregivers of children who have experienced prenatal substance exposure.

Session 1 examines prenatal and postpartum cannabis use as well as its effects on neonatal outcomes:

• How prevalent is cannabis use during pregnancy and what are the reported reasons for use?
• What does current research say about the risks during pregnancy and breastfeeding?
• What strategies can professionals use when working with pregnant people and family members to mitigate the risks during pregnancy?

CEUs are available! Interested? Please register for Session 1 here (tinyurl.com/2h5dn47v).

📢 The Administration for Children and Families - ACF visited with members of three teams to learn more on how they’re implementing to help families involved with (due to substance use) stay together. Thank you for your incredible support!

When START is implemented with fidelity, children enter at half the rate of their peers. Plus, more than 75% of children remained with—or were with their parents—at case closure.

Learn how to implement START in your community by contacting us at [email protected].