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Family-Centered Systems Innovation Team

In-Depth Technical Assistance

Through its In-Depth Technical Assistance (IDTA) Program, the Family-Centered Systems Innovation Team (FCSIT) assists states, Tribes, and community partner agencies in implementing the 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) amendments to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), Public Law 114-198.

FCSIT focuses on improving the safety, health, permanency, well-being, and recovery outcomes of families affected by substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders. This specialized team helps states develop state policies and practice protocols in five critical areas identified in CARA amendments to CAPTA:

  1. Infants and their families identified as being affected by prenatal substance exposure
  2. Development of Plans of Safe Care (POSC)
  3. Cross system collaboration
  4. Establishing a comprehensive service array
  5. Substance use and mental health treatment

FCSIT improves cross-agency collaboration among substance use and mental health disorder treatment centers, child welfare and court systems, and their partners. The improved collaboration reduces duplication of effort, increases effective communication, saves resources, and increases the number of infants who can safely remain with their parents while reducing the need for child welfare protective custody.

The IDTA model provides communities with tailored, phased support for sustainable policy and practice changes through targeted training, technical assistance, and coaching. The customized approach has resulted in sites increasing their capacity to improve the safety, health, permanency, well-being, and recovery outcomes for families affected by substance use and mental health disorders.

In-Depth Technical Assistance Program

View Site Profiles

The map below highlights past and present participating states. Profiles for current states are coming soon. For further information on IDTA sites, contact NCSACW@cffutures.org

Number of Sites01-34-89+

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Policy and Practice Resources

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: What Professionals Working with Pregnant Women Need to Know

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2024

Provides information about the effects of cannabis use on fetal and neonatal health, how to develop a Plan of Safe Care (POSC) and

... (Read More)
View Document (PDF 775 KB)

Plans of Safe Care Learning Modules Series

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2020

A five-part series on POSC for infants born with and identified as affected by substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms resulting from

... (Read More)
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A Collaborative Approach to the Treatment of Pregnant Women With Opioid Use Disorders: Practice and Policy ...

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services A..., 2016

Provides information on the extent of opioid use by pregnant women as well as the effects on the infant, evidenced-based recommendations

... (Read More)
View Document (PDF 1.6 MB)

Additional Resources

Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA), Prenatal Substance Exposure Statutory Station Summary

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2017

Covers the history of the CAPTA prenatal exposure provisions, including the July 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act changes.

... (Read More)
View Document (PDF 539 KB)

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