Substance Abuse and Child Welfare Assessment

Level: Advanced Practice – Lineworker, Supervisor

Credits: 3

Intended Audience: New and experienced line workers and supervisors

Intended Objectives:

• Identify the signs, symptoms and individual and family dynamics of the Illness of Addiction.
• Identify indicators of the impact of Addiction on Children.
• Identify the physical and behavioral signs of substance abuse including related paraphernalia.
• Identify elements of the assessment of parents suffering from the Illness of Addiction, including those suffering from Co-Occurring Disorders.
• Be exposed to Solutions Focused interviewing techniques for parents suffering from Addiction.

Topics Include:

• Assessing Substance Abuse issues in Child Welfare Families
• How Addiction impacts children
• Identifying physical and behavioral signs of substance abuse
• Discuss how “severity of impairment”, “appropriate intensity of treatment” and “measures of prognosis,” relate to child welfare assessments
• Assessing substance abuse and identifying Co-Occurring Disorders
• Use of Solution Focus interviewing techniques in working with persons who are addicted to substances

CalSWEC Competencies Addressed:

1.3 Student demonstrates the ability to conduct an ethnically and culturally competent assessment of a child and family and to develop an effective intervention plan.

2.2 Student is able to critically evaluate the relevance of commonly utilized
assessment criteria and intervention models in terms of their usefulness with
diverse ethnic and cultural populations.

3.6 Integrating knowledge of individual, family, and cultural dynamics, the student
can recognize signs and symptoms of substance abuse in children and adults and
assess its impact.

4.3 Student works collaboratively with biological families, foster families, and kin networks, involving them in assessment and planning and helping them access services and develop coping strategies.
5.5 Student demonstrates understanding of how the strengths perspective and empowerment approaches can positively influence growth, development, and behavior change.