Working With the Community and Supporting Families

Working with the community and supporting families should be addressed by the collaborative. Community roles in child welfare reform and in substance abuse have been shown to be great resources with the ability to mobilize community members and community-based organizations. These community based organizations and support systems have served as a “front line” of child protective services that functions as child and substance abuse prevention as well as providing on-going supports after “formal” services have ended.

• Family-Centered Treatment for Women with Substance Use Disorders—History, Key Elements and Challenges
  Discusses the role of family in the context of treatment for women with substance use disorders. The companion, Funding Family Centered-Treatment for Women (PDF - 175 KB) assists treatment providers and State substance abuse agencies to identify and access potential sources of funding for comprehensive family-centered treatment.
• A Critical Link: Substance Abuse Issues in Family to Family Efforts
  Reviews the potential links between Family to Family reforms in the child welfare system and substance abuse issues
• Substance Abuse Treatment and Family Therapy
  Provides information about family therapy for substance abuse treatment providers, and offers information about substance abuse treatment to family therapists. It focuses on the stages of motivation, treatment, and recovery, and covers clinical decision-making, supervision, cultural considerations, funding, and research. TIP 39.
• Assessing and Supporting Parenting in Families Affected by Substance Abuse or HIV (2007)
  Based on lessons learned from National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center projects throughout the country, this guidebook provides practitioners and administrators with guidance in assessing, supporting, and strengthening parenting skills and parent-child relationships among families affected by substance abuse and/or HIV.
• Foster Care: Recent Legislation Helps States Focus on Finding Permanent Homes for Children, but Long-standing Barriers Remain, 2002 (PDF)

Foundations

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted to health care.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation
  Since 1948, the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) has worked to build better futures for disadvantaged children and their families in the United States. The primary mission of the Foundation is to foster public policies, human service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today's vulnerable children and families.
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation
  The David and Lucile Packard Foundation was created in 1964 by David Packard and Lucile Salter Packard. The Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the following program areas: Conservation; Population; Science; Children, Families, and Communities; Arts; and Organizational Effectiveness and Philanthropy.

Additional Websites

• Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)
  A coalition of more than 4,300 community organizations across the U.S. This web site offers a plethora of resources to help communities combat substance abuse.
• Join Together
  A national resource for communities fighting substance abuse and gun violence. This web site contains a wide-range of substance abuse-related materials including funding, prevention, policy, and criminal justice issues.
• Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.)
  An international fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other so they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
• Al-Anon Family Groups, Inc. (Al-Anon/Alateen)
  A support program that helps families and friends (adults and youths) of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or friend.
• Narcotics Anonymous (N.A.)
  An International community based organization of recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other recover from the disease of addiction.
• Children's Defense Fund (CDF)
  One of the leading children's advocacy organizations focusing on poor, minority, and disabled children. Many of their publications and reports highlight the substantial influence of substance abuse on children and families. This site contains publications, news and reports, links and information pertaining to their numerous campaigns and projects.
• Family Support America
  Promotes family support as a nationally recognized movement to strengthen and support families and places the principles of family support practice at the heart of every setting in which children and families are present.
• PACER Center
  Expands opportunities and enhances the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.