Module 5: Case Planning Considerations for Families Affected by Parental Substance Use & Co‑Occurring Disorders

The goal of module 5 is to provide in-depth knowledge and understanding about case planning considerations for families affected by parental substance use and co-occurring disorders. Child welfare workers will acquire knowledge to improve their identification of safety and risk factors with enhanced assessment of indicators specific to the child, caregiver, family, and home environment; define, identify, and promote caregiver protective capacities and protective factors with knowledge of how these serve to mitigate identified safety threats; understand how safety and risk assessments inform safety planning including actionable steps to increase child safety and family unification whenever possible; identify, plan, and respond to a parent’s potential return to use with knowledge of recovery management plans to support parental stabilization; understand the limitations of drug testing with knowledge of best practice considerations for use in child welfare settings; advocate for improvements to quality family time to support reunification goals and objectives; and finally, identify, plan, and determine family readiness for case closure with coordination of aftercare services and supports.

After completing this training, child welfare workers will:

• Differentiate between safety and risk factors for families affected by parental substance use
• Assess for child safety with knowledge of specific indicators related to the child, parent/family, and the home environment
• Define, identify, and promote caregiver protective capacities and protective factors with knowledge of how these serve to mitigate identified safety threats
• Use safety and risk assessments to inform safety planning with clear and actionable steps to increase child safety and family unification whenever possible
• Identify, plan, and respond to a parent’s potential return to use with knowledge of recovery management plans to support parental stabilization
• Understand the limitations of drug testing with knowledge of best practice considerations for use in child welfare settings
• Advocate for improvements to quality family time to support reunification goals and objectives
• Identify, plan, and determine family readiness for case closure with coordination of aftercare services and supports