Research over the past decade has documented a strong relationship between substance abuse and problems of child abuse and neglect. Although many data collection systems do not gather accurate data on substance abuse and child welfare, most studies in the U.S. suggest parental substance abuse is a factor in one third to two-thirds of child involvement in the child welfare system. Parental substance abuse appears to be strongly associated with higher rates of physical abuse or neglect among families in community samples, higher rates of substantiated child maltreatment in cases referred into child welfare, higher rates of out-of-home placements, re-reports of abuse, and reentry into foster care. This study examined factors that help and hinder the process of collaboration based on in-depth interviews with respondents from substance abuse and child welfare fields working in five California counties with established formal collaborative policies and programs. This curriculum, which is grounded in the findings from the study, provides highlights of research and experiential activities in four primary areas that may be used independently or in combination: (a) overview of research on cross-systems collaboration, (b) promising models and elements for collaborative practice, (c) factors that help and hinder collaboration, and (d) facilitating communication and dealing with confidentiality issues across systems. (161 pages)Drabble, L., Osterling, K. L., Tweed, M., & Pearce, C. A. (2008).

Research over the last 20 years has documented a strong correlation between substance abuse and risk of involvement in the child welfare system. More recently, a growing body of research and policy analysis focused on addressing the needs of substance-abusing families in child welfare calls for “bridging the gap” in values and attitudes between child welfare and substance abuse treatment service delivery systems and developing collaborative models for intervention and case planning. This research-based curriculum increases awareness about how individual and professional values may impact interdisciplinary practice and is designed to develop skills for improved collaborative practice among child welfare workers, substance abuse treatment professionals, and other professionals working with substance abusing families involved in the child welfare system. This study examined similarities and differences in values and perceived capacity for collaboration between substance abuse and child welfare fields based on survey data from respondents in counties in California. The instruments used in this study, the Collaborative Values Inventory (CVI) and Collaborative Capacity Instrument (CCI), were developed by Children and Family Futures/National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare. (123 pages)Drabble, L., Tweed, M., & Osterling, K. L., (with Navarrette, L., Pearce, C., Riberio, P., & Twomey, E.). (2006).

This curriculum, written for graduate social work students and child welfare workers, is designed to improve the quality of care and services provided to children in out-of-home care. It highlights the importance of providing child welfare services that are responsive to the needs of children who must prepare for emancipation and the responsibilities of adult life. While more research efforts are aimed at tracking youth emancipating from the foster care system, little is known about those who are currently enrolled in post-secondary education. Further, research on youth exiting the foster care system tends to highlight negative outcomes. Little is known of former foster youth who go on to lead healthy and productive lives and what the contributing factors were that enabled them to succeed. Understanding their pathways to college and identifying the factors related to educational achievement can help inform program and service delivery to youth currently in the foster care system. (186 pages)Merdinger, J. M., Hines, A. M., Lemon, K., Wyatt, P., & Tweed, M. (2002).

This resource provides access to each edition of the Northern California Training Academy's child welfare practice journal Reaching Out.

This page provides access to recorded webinars and materials from the live webinar sessions.

This curriculum offers an empirically based instruction tool for child welfare social workers or other related practitioners on family reunification services: the historical groundings and legal frameworks; the types of services that are offered to parents; factors associated with parents’ use of services; and information on the effectiveness of services. The curriculum blends a literature review of current knowledge with a study on family reunification services, with the intent to provide contextual information to aid social workers in the development of appropriate and responsible case plans for parents receiving reunification services in the child welfare system. (158 pages) Vugia, H., Osterling, K. L., D'Andrade, A. (2009).

This item contains resources relating to the intersection of child welfare and substance abuse services. It includes: a draft outline trainers may use to blend components of sample training curricula; sample curricula on adult substance abuse and on alcohol and other drugs in the practice of child welfare; supplemental training resources including experiential exercises, sample case studies and training handouts; and a bibliography and copies of key articles from research and practice literature. In addition, two brief reference booklets--one on resources for training child welfare staff about substance abuse and one on elements of effective alcohol and drug training for child welfare professionals--are included. (260 pages) Louisell, M., & Drabble, L. (1997).

This curriculum is intended to help child welfare workers, administrators, and policy-makers increase the job retention of public child welfare caseworkers. California’s statewide shortage of social workers is expected worsen, and the field of public child welfare is facing its own acute shortage of social work personnel. More important, high turnover rates in child welfare agencies are a major obstacle to timely investigations, compromising the ability of agencies to protect children. The retention of public child welfare workers is an immediate pressing professional and practical concern, and this curriculum points directly to specific solutions to the problem. (58 pages)Weaver, D., Chang, J., & Gil de Gibaja, M. (2006).

This page features information and course materials for all of the Safety Organized Practice (SOP) courses the Northern California Training Academy regularly offers. This does not include trainings the Academy tailors specifically to individual counties upon request. If you would like to enroll in one of the courses below, please visit the Northern California Training Academy website for upcoming dates and locations.

This resource provides classroom and supplemental materials for the Northern California Training Academy's SOP Foundational Institute training for child welfare social workers. Learn more about Safety Organized Practice by visiting the Academy website at www.humanservices.ucdavis.edu/academy.

This page will serve as a resource library for counties to share examples of forms, policies and procedures, training materials, communication materials any materials or videos that have supported Safety Organized Practice and implementation.

This resource provides access to news, publications, videos, tips, tools, practice briefs and course materials related to Safety Organized Practice in child welfare, with particular emphasis on child child welfare in Northern California counties.

This resource provides a look at various publications concerning social worker health and wellness.

The following training videos are dedicated to helping child welfare workers learn practical skills to cope with the emotional tolls of their very important work. Throughout this series, child welfare workers will learn about the dynamics of secondary traumatic stress, self-care strategies, and a framework for coping with secondary trauma.

Module I discusses effects of sexual abuse trauma on young children; describes the adverse effects of sexual abuse trauma and the role of past victimization experiences in motivating sexual acting out; includes a literature review; and covers affective, cognitive, and behavioral effects. Two practice models that explain the effects of abuse are discussed and compared, and an integrative treatment model is introduced. Module II discusses childhood sexual development, reviews research on sexual behavior problems in children, presents research findings about normative sexual development in children as well as criteria differentiating sexually abusive behavior problems from age-appropriate sex play, includes experiential exercises on sexual values, and reviews and discusses clinical and research methods used to classify types of children with sexual behavior problems. Each module contains learning objectives, suggested readings, an outline of issues addressed in the module, and suggestions for teaching the module in the classroom and in field practicum. (143 pages)Rasmusssen, L. (2000).

This curriculum examines the types of decisions child welfare workers are required to make, the factors that influence their decision-making patterns, and various approaches that could potentially improve decision making on both an individual and organizational level. To further explore the issues surrounding decision making, the curriculum focuses specifically on Structured Decision Making® (SDM®), a model that can be used to assist social workers in making accurate and consistent decisions about the levels of risk for maltreatment found in families, to provide guidance about service provision, and to assist with reunification and permanency planning. In 1999, the State of California decided to make SDM® a required tool for child welfare agencies statewide, and SDM® has since been implemented in several counties, including Los Angeles. To explore the implementation and effects of SDM®and its implications on child welfare decision making, the authors conducted a multi-level study in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. The study addressed three central questions: (a) what are the challenges related to implementing the full SDM® model in the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), (b) what impact does implementation of the full SDM® model have on child welfare service delivery, and (c) what impact does implementation of the full SDM® model have on child permanency outcomes? (254 pages) Kim, A. K., Brooks, D., Kim, H., & Nissly, J. (2008).

This program explores the correlation between the reduction of the incidence of substance abuse and the reduction of the incidence of child abuse. Estimates indicate that 40-60% of child abuse cases are substance abuse related; yet, meager resources and attention are directed toward alleviating the problem. This tape offers six elements that provide a framework for successful intervention with substance abusers. Three role-playing scenarios show how these elements are incorporated into situations that social workers encounter in the field, translating classroom learning into practice. (28 minutes)San Diego State University. (1994).