A7 - Twenty Years Since the Adoption and Safe Families’ Act: Lessons on Improving Outcomes for Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders and Child Welfare Involvement

The Adoption and Safe Families Act enactment in 1997 emphasized achieving timely permanency for children involved with child welfare and underscored the importance of effectively addressing substance use disorders. This session will offer an in-depth discussion of concrete collaborative policy and practice strategies to address the needs of families affected by substance use disorders gleaned from work with key initiatives over the past twenty years. Presenters will provide policy and practice achievements and their outcomes from the Regional Partnership Grants, Children Affected by Methamphetamine, and In-Depth Technical Assistance Programs to bring these strategies to life and offer ample time for identification and discussion on policy improvements to continue support and strengthen families affected by substance use disorders.

Presenters: Nancy K. Young, Children and Family Futures, Lake Forest, CA