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Improving Early Childhood Outcomes and Systems for Families Affected by Parental Substance Use, Substance Use Disorders, and Co-Occurring Mental Health Disorders

Helps build capacity for child welfare, substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health treatment, and early childhood service providers—as well as other family-serving agencies. The series is for agency leaders seeking to improve outcomes during the early childhood period for families affected by SUDs. The series includes fact sheets and discussion questions with embedded videos that feature subject matter experts including parents in recovery from SUDs. The videos are available.

Overview: Improving Early Childhood Outcomes and Systems for Families Affected by Parental Substance Use, Substance Use Disorder...

Overview: Improving Early Childhood Outcomes and Systems for Families Affected by Parental Substance Use, Substance Use Disorders, and Co-Occurring Mental Health Disorders

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2025

Introduces the series and includes a brief video of a subject matter expert sharing...(Read More)
View Document (PDF 914 KB)

Fact Sheet 1: Early Childhood Practice and Policy for Child Welfare Agencies

Fact Sheet 1: Early Childhood Practice and Policy for Child Welfare Agencies

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2025

Provides an overview of common challenges to meet the needs of families affected by...(Read More)
View Document (PDF 1.75 MB)

Fact Sheet 2: Family-Centered Approaches in Early Childhood for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Programs

Fact Sheet 2: Family-Centered Approaches in Early Childhood for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Programs

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2025

Provides an overview of how a family-centered approach can be used to improve...(Read More)
View Document (PDF 1.32 MB)

Fact Sheet 3: Cross-System Collaborative Strategies for Early Childhood Service Providers

Fact Sheet 3: Cross-System Collaborative Strategies for Early Childhood Service Providers

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2025

Intends to help early childhood service providers to: 1) understand the needs of...(Read More)
View Document (PDF 1.1 MB)

Action Guiding Questions to Strengthen Family-Centered Practice for Families with Children ages 1-6 and Affected by Parental Sub...

Action Guiding Questions to Strengthen Family-Centered Practice for Families with Children ages 1-6 and Affected by Parental Substance Use Disorders and Co-Occurring Mental Health Disorders

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2025

Includes four sets of discussion questions intended for family-serving systems to...(Read More)
View Document (PDF 1.1 MB)

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.

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.

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 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.

If you or someone you know are in crisis, thinking about harming yourself, attempting suicide, or harming another person, tell someone who can help right away. There are options to help you cope. Call the toll-free, 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) to be connected to a trained counselor at a suicide crisis center nearest you. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is confidential support, available 24/7 to everyone in the United States.

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.

Administration for Children & FamiliesSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
https://ncsacw.acf.hhs.gov

An official website of the Administration for Children and Families and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare