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Safety and Risk

Families with parental substance use issues, mental health challenges, and child welfare involvement often have complex needs. These resources help professionals assess and respond to safety and risk factors to improve family well-being.

Highlighted Resource

Child Welfare Supervisor’s Practice Guides to Safety and Risk

Practice Guide 1: A Child Welfare Supervisor’s Guide to Engagement and Safety Decision-Making in Substance Use Disorder Cases

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2024

These two child welfare supervisor’s practice guides are supplements to the safety and risk video series for child welfare professionals

...(Read More)

Policy and Practice Resources

Child Welfare Supervisor’s Practice Guides to Safety and Risk

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

These two child welfare supervisor’s practice guides are supplements to the safety and risk video series for child welfare professionals

... (Read More)

Edible Marijuana Dangers: How Parents Can Prevent THC Poisoning

American Academy of Pediatrics, 2023

Provides an overview of cannabis (i.e., marijuana) edibles, including symptoms of

... (Read More)

Child Welfare Practice Tip Sheets Series

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2023

This five-part series was developed for child welfare workers serving families affected by parental substance use disorders (SUDs). The

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The Use of Safety and Risk Assessment in Child Protection Cases

Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2022

Discusses state child welfare laws and policies that provide guidance to workers for

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FDA Warning on Accidental Ingestion by Children of Food Products Containing THC

U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 2022

This alert has been updated to include new data reported to the FDA and national

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Health Care Professionals' Guide to Keeping Babies and Preschoolers Safe from Addictive, Toxic Substances

Center on Addiction, 2021

Provides guidance on talking with parents about protecting their children from

... (Read More)

Parents' Guide to Keeping Babies and Preschoolers Safe from Addictive, Toxic Substances

Center on Addiction, 2021

Includes items parents should be aware of that can be harmful to children and ways to

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Protective Factors Approaches in Child Welfare

Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2020

This issue brief provides an overview of national protective factors approaches to

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Protective Factors Conversation Guides

Child Welfare Information Gateway, n.d.

Created to help service providers engage caregivers in personalized conversations

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Related Online Training, Videos, and Webinars

Module 6: Understanding the Needs of Children and Adolescents Affected by Parental Substance Use & Co-Occur...

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

Provides in-depth knowledge and understanding about the needs of children and

... (Read More)

Safety and Risk Video Series

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2023

Provides child welfare professionals with details on the unique safety factors related to parental substance use disorders (SUDs). It

... (Read More)

Risk and Safety Assessment 101

Administration for Children and Families, 2022

Assessment is defined as the collection of information to inform decision-making

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State and Local Examples

Opioid Overdose Risk Factors

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2023

Provides information on risk factors and ways to prevent a fatal overdose.

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Child Protective Services Safety Intervention Standards

Wisconsin Department of Children and Familie..., 2022

Provides guidelines for child safety decisions and actions is essential and relevant

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State Guides and Manuals for Family Preservation and Support

Child welfare Information Gateway, n.d.

Links to online publications created by State agencies to describe their services and

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Additional Resources

Protective Factors Surveys

FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based ..., 2021

Helps child welfare agencies to assess families’ protective factors and changes over

... (Read More)

How Can Understanding Risk and Protective Factors Predict Chronic Neglect for CPS-Involved Families

Casey Family Programs, 2020

Examines the use of risk assessment tools to predict chronic neglect and shows that

... (Read More)

How Can Child Protection Agencies Use Safety Science to Promote a Safety Culture?

Casey Family Programs, 2020

Examines how implementing the use of safety science to create a safety culture in

... (Read More)

Tribal Information Exchange

Capacity Building Center for Tribes, n.d.

The Capacity Building Center for Tribes, funded by the Children’s Bureau, provides

... (Read More)

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