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Advancing Equity in Access to Care

Families of color and other diverse groups affected by substance use disorders often face a complex set of challenges leading to unequal access to services, disparate outcomes, and disproportionate representation in child welfare.

Highlighted Resources

Key Considerations for Applying an Equity Lens to Collaborative Practice

Key Considerations for Applying an Equity Lens to Collaborative Practice

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2022

This technical assistance brief helps collaborative teams formally assess existing policies to determine if and how they contribute to

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Policy and Practice Resources

Addressing Disproportionality, Disparity, and Equity Throughout Child Welfare

Children’s Bureau, 2024

This webpage provides an introduction to racial equity as well as equity for tribes

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What are jurisdictions learning and doing as they address racial disparities in child welfare?

Casey Family Programs, 2024

This brief provides a snapshot of perspectives and lessons learned from a group of

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Racial Equity

National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, 2024

This list of resources supports child welfare staff and leaders as they confront

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Creating an Affirming Culture and Climate for LGBTQIA2S+ Children and Young People in Child Welfare

Capacity Building Center for States, 2024

Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (SOGIE) are important aspects

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Improving Substance Use Prevention, Assessment, and Treatment Financing to Enhance Equity and Improve Outco...

American Academy of Pediatrics, 2022

This policy statement provides recommendations for financing substance use prevention

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Key Considerations for Applying an Equity Lens to Collaborative Practice

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2022

This technical assistance brief helps collaborative teams formally assess existing

... (Read More)

Disproportionalities and Disparities in Child Welfare: A Supplement to Understanding Substance Use Disorder...

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2022

This tool, a companion resource to the Online Tutorial for Child Welfare

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Disrupting Stigma: How Understanding, Empathy, and Connection Can Improve Outcomes for Families Affected by...

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2022

Stigma affects the attitudes and actions of healthcare and treatment professionals

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Disproportionality Rates for Children of Color in Foster Care Dashboard

National Center for Juvenile Justice, 2021

Interactive dashboard with national and state disproportionality rates for children

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Implicit Bias Resource Guide: A resource to increase health equity and address implicit bias

National Institute for Children’s Health Qua..., 2019

This resource increases health equity and examines implicit bias.

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Addressing Disproportionality

Child Welfare Information Gateway

This webpage has resources on issues such as overrepresentation in the child welfare

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Stigma and Discrimination Research Toolkit

National Institute of Mental Health

This toolkit is a collection of evidence and resources related to stigma and

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Related Online Training, Videos, and Webinars

Disrupting Stigma: A Virtual Conversation

Date: March 11, 2022

This virtual discussion shares information on how to create understanding, empathy, and connection to improve systems and services for

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Threading Equity Throughout Child Welfare

Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2022

This episode features a conversation with Aysha E. Schomburg, J.D., associate

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Strengthening Families Using a Racial Equity Lens

Administration for Children and Families, 2021

Learn how professionals can use an awareness of power to adopt and embrace an

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Disrupting Stigma to Support Meaningful Change for Families in Family Treatment Court

Center for Children and Family Futures, 2021

This course invites family treatment court teams and practitioners to consider how

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Recognizing Bias and Promoting Equity in Early Childhood Settings—Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service...

Date: January 13, 2017

This video features interviews with experienced infant and early childhood mental health consultants who discuss the importance of

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State and Local Examples

How is Broward County, Fla., advancing racial justice for families involved with the child protection syste...

Casey Family Programs, 2022

Children of color are disproportionately represented at nearly every decision point

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Brief: How did the blind removal process in Nassau County, N.Y., address disparity among children entering ...

Casey Family Programs, 2021

This brief describes Nassau County’s experience implementing a blind child removal

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Additional Resources

Defining LGBTQ Terms and Concepts

Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2023

Young people in the LGBTQ community face high¬er rates of rejection, violence

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Office of Behavioral Health Equity

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services A..., 2022

The Office of Behavioral Health Equity coordinates SAMHSA’s efforts to reduce

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Addiction Technology Transfer Center Building Health Equity and Inclusion Webpage

This webpage is a compilation of resources, including those for training and

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National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN)

NDACAN manages and distributes various child welfare administrative datasets

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National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED)

NNED is a network of community-based organizations focused on the mental health and

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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.

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.

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.

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.

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare