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Module 7 – Collaborating to Serve Parents with Substance Use Disorders

Description and Objectives

The goal of Training Module 7 is to provide child welfare workers with an understanding of the importance of collaborating with other service providers. The module provides an overview of confidentiality laws and the requirement for releases of information to work collaboratively with treatment providers to serve families. It is important when working with treatment providers to understand the types of information to gather and share. This module concludes with ways to build a collaborative team to support successful outcomes for children and families.

After completing this training, child welfare workers will:

  • Identify the importance of collaboration with other service providers
  • Recognize key steps in building effective cross-systems collaboration
  • Discuss 42 CFR, HIPAA, and releases of information
  • Determine what information to gather from service providers
  • Determine what information to share with service providers
  • Demonstrate collaborative case planning
  • Adhere to information and communication protocols
  • Consider shared outcomes

Training Tips

  • Partner with a local expert on substance use disorders to co-facilitate the training
  • Use the *** bolded discussion questions integrated in the module talking points to enrich the training and further engage participants
  • Share or incorporate agency policy, procedures, and forms around information sharing
  • Provide participants with a list of local treatment providers
  • Provide copies of releases of information
  • Contact the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare for more information about using the Collaborative Values Inventory, a self-administered questionnaire that provides jurisdictions with an anonymous way of assessing the extent to which group members share ideas about the values that underlie their collaborative efforts, in your community.

Materials

  • Computer and projector
  • Speakers
  • Internet access
  • PowerPoint slides
  • Facilitator's Guide
  • Flip chart paper or white board (for use as a visual aid during discussion)

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