The Child Welfare League of America’s (CWLA) Child Welfare Journal recently published two special issues titled “Opportunities for Child Welfare to Respond to Prenatal Alcohol and Other Substance Exposures” containing eighteen articles across the two issues. In this partnership with James Bell Associates, supported by the Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CWLA builds on its work from 2015 in which they explored the needs of children in families with substance misuse disorders.
In explaining the rationale for releasing this special issue of their journal, CWLA noted the following: an increased use of synthetic opioids, loosening of laws regarding recreational marijuana use, tightening of certain state laws requiring medical professionals to report prenatal substance exposure, the federal response to addiction and overdose deaths, and renewed calls to attend to racial inequities in all aspects of society. Rightly so, CWLA acknowledges that a bulk of the attention has been on prevention and young children, even though FASD is a lifelong disability, and older children and adults need the proper resources and services.
This special release provides a more complete understanding of the needs of individuals with FASD, particularly those in child welfare settings. In the first issue of this two-issue special the articles focus on the scope, prevalence, and pathways for infants, children, and caregivers regarding prenatal alcohol exposure. Authors touch on the behavioral and development challenges individuals with FASD face, as well as how adverse experiences and trauma can intersect, leading to increased vulnerability and decrease in the likelihood of FASD recognition by medical professionals. A set of articles in this first issue deals with the state level responses that have led to increased levels of early detection and more effective family care plans.
The second issue focuses on cross-systems approaches. One set of articles examines the welfare workforce’s understanding of FASD and PAE in order to highlight the need for specific training. Other articles delve into evidence-based interventions and the inherent challenges child welfare systems face in dealing with FASD.
We invite you to read any of the articles you are interested in by purchasing them here. You may find some of these articles helpful when meeting with legislators or their staffers as they provide evidence-based solutions to real problems. For example, some articles show how FASD can fit into the already established child welfare system, while others show how states have already responded to FASD. Check back in the coming months for a more in depth look at a few particular articles!
