Families involved with child welfare can often benefit from support from overlapping systems and services. With the well-researched correlation between child maltreatment and substance use, substance use treatment may positively affect parents’ abilities to care for their children. A recent study published in the Child Abuse & Neglect journal examines parenting attitudes and practices among families affected by co-occurring parental substance use and child maltreatment who participated in the Ohio Sobriety, Treatment, And Reducing Trauma (START) program.
The START program is a treatment model designed to support families involved in child welfare with at least one child age 5 or younger and one parent diagnosed with a substance use disorder, according to the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. It places families at the center of treatment and includes them in decision-making during treatment and case planning. It is rated as a “supported” practice by the clearinghouse and is available for title IV-E funding under the Family First Prevention Services Act.