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Opioid Use Disorder and Civil Rights Video and Webinar Series

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW), together with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), created this training series to inform child welfare and court professionals about federal disability rights protections that apply to certain parents with an opioid—or other substance use—disorder who are also involved with child welfare.

Opioid use disorder is a serious epidemic affecting families and communities across the nation. Discrimination, bias, and stereotypes inhibit access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT); these barriers are possibly illegal and may delay a person’s ability to access critical health and human service programs. Note: federal disability rights laws protect certain people with an opioid—or other substance use—disorder.

Exploring Civil Rights Protections for Individuals in Recovery from an OUD

Part 1: Civil Rights Protections for Individuals with a Disability: The Basics

Exploring Civil Rights Protections for Individuals in Recovery from an Opioid Disorder

Date: April 19, 2021

Provides information on protections for qualified individuals with a disability in the child welfare system and federal disability... (Read More)

Part 2: Civil Rights Protections for Individuals with an Opioid Use Disorder

Exploring Civil Rights Protections for Individuals in Recovery from an Opioid Disorder

Date: April 19, 2021

Examines SUDs and OUDs as a disability while analyzing federal disability rights protections for individuals receiving MAT.... (Read More)

Medication-Assisted Treatment and Common Misconceptions

Medication-Assisted Treatment

Date: April 19, 2021

This video offers an in-depth look at MAT while addressing common misconceptions about treatment. It highlights strategies that inform... (Read More)

Child Welfare Case Staffing: Child Welfare Court Case (Video)

Child Welfare Mock Case Staffing: Child Welfare Court Case

Date: April 19, 2021

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) prepared this animated video that simulates a hearing between a judge, a... (Read More)

Child Welfare Case Staffing: Social Worker and Supervisor (Video)

Child Welfare Mock Case Staffing: Social Worker and Supervisor

Date: April 19, 2021

This animated video simulates a child welfare worker and supervisor staffing a case involving a mother receiving MAT while pregnant. The... (Read More)

Note: This video and webinar series is intended to be a training opportunity. The simulated dialogues are hypothetical of a child welfare staffing and a court scenario. For training purposes, the content and conversations in the animated videos, highlight opportunities for improved practice and the need for person-first language. Child welfare systems are complex and vary widely by state. These training resources are not a final agency action and do not legally bind persons or entities outside the federal government. Each state incorporates the requirements of federal legislation into its state child welfare laws. These state laws specify when and how child welfare and dependency courts will be involved in the lives of families. When a child is under court supervision, the dependency court is responsible for monitoring that child’s safety and ensuring that he or she has permanency in the caregiving relationship following the timelines specified in the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA).

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