Strengthening families struggling with the opioid crisis

Register to view video
By Gary Chovnick, Jennifer Matjasko, Ken DeCerchio, Angela Braxton, and Candice Ward
Gary Chovnick
Director, Research Science

The opioid crisis has created significant strain on the U.S. child welfare system: 39% of children entering foster care had parental drug abuse reported as a reason for removal in 2017. Child welfare workers report that children increasingly are harmed, exposed to violence, and eventually removed from their homes as a result of substance use.

In this webinar, experts from the CDC, the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, and ICF share results from studies of the opioid epidemic and its effect on child welfare systems and families. What community services might be effective in preventing children’s exposure to violence? How can agencies help prevent family separation and strengthen families struggling with the opioid epidemic?

Topics include:

  • New research that highlights the negative impacts of the epidemic on children and families.
  • How to better prevent children from being removed from homes struggling with drug abuse.
  • Ways to optimize the Family First Prevention Services Act.
Go to ICF
Meet the authors
  1. Gary Chovnick, Director, Research Science
  2. Jennifer Matjasko, Senior Health Scientist, Associate Chief of Science Research and Evaluation Branch, Division of Violence Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  3. Ken DeCerchio, Center for Children and Family Futures, National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
  4. Angela Braxton, National Family Engagement Consultant, Capacity Building Center for States
  5. Candice Ward, Prevention/Child Protection Program Area Manager, Capacity Building Center for States