Safety and Risk
Families with parental substance use issues, mental health challenges, and child welfare involvement often have complex needs. These resources help professionals assess and respond to safety and risk factors to improve family well-being.
Highlighted Resource
Toolkit: Carry the Message How Substance Use Disorder Treatment Agencies Can Help Child Welfare Agencies Meet the Safety Needs o...
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 2025
The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) prepared this toolkit to build capacity in the substance use disorder
... (Read More)Policy and Practice Resources
Toolkit: Carry the Message How Substance Use Disorder Treatment Agencies Can Help Child Welfare Agencies Me...
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2025
The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) prepared this toolkit to build capacity in the substance use disorder
... (Read More)Child Welfare Supervisor’s Practice Guides to Safety and Risk
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2024
These two child welfare supervisor’s practice guides are supplements to the safety and risk video series for child welfare professionals
... (Read More)Edible Marijuana Dangers: How Parents Can Prevent THC Poisoning
American Academy of Pediatrics, 2023
Provides an overview of cannabis (i.e., marijuana) edibles, including symptoms of
... (Read More)Child Welfare Practice Tip Sheets Series
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2023
This five-part series was developed for child welfare workers serving families affected by parental substance use disorders (SUDs). The
... (Read More)The Use of Safety and Risk Assessment in Child Protection Cases
Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2022
Discusses state child welfare laws and policies that provide guidance to workers for
... (Read More)FDA Warning on Accidental Ingestion by Children of Food Products Containing THC
U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 2022
This alert has been updated to include new data reported to the FDA and national
... (Read More)Health Care Professionals' Guide to Keeping Babies and Preschoolers Safe from Addictive, Toxic Substances
Center on Addiction, 2021
Provides guidance on talking with parents about protecting their children from
... (Read More)Parents' Guide to Keeping Babies and Preschoolers Safe from Addictive, Toxic Substances
Center on Addiction, 2021
Includes items parents should be aware of that can be harmful to children and ways to
... (Read More)Protective Factors Approaches in Child Welfare
Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2020
This issue brief provides an overview of national protective factors approaches to
... (Read More)Protective Factors Conversation Guides
Child Welfare Information Gateway, n.d.
Created to help service providers engage caregivers in personalized conversations
... (Read More)Related Online Training, Videos, and Webinars
Substance Use Trends: The Effects on Child Safety and Family Risk Factors
Date: December 2025
Presenters share insights from the National Opioid Environmental Scan and discuss strategies to reduce substance use stigma, improve
...(Read More)State and Local Examples
State Guides and Manuals for Family Preservation and Support
Child Welfare Information Gateway, n.d.
Links to online publications created by State agencies to describe their services and
... (Read More)Additional Resources
Protective Factors Surveys
FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based ..., 2021
Helps child welfare agencies to assess families’ protective factors and changes over
... (Read More)How Can Understanding Risk and Protective Factors Predict Chronic Neglect for CPS-Involved Families
Casey Family Programs, 2020
Examines the use of risk assessment tools to predict chronic neglect and shows that
... (Read More)