Equipping social workers on the front line: The child welfare and addiction specialist fellowship program

项目摘要 最好的估计表明，高达68%的儿童福利案件涉及照顾者与酒精和/或其他 物质使用障碍（AOSUDs），这是一个重大的公共卫生问题，因为仅在2020年， 有390万儿童福利转介，涉及710万儿童！儿童福利专业人员缺乏知识 AOSUDs及其循证治疗和许多护理人员的AOSUDs未被识别， 未经治疗，这使儿童面临更大的虐待和离家安置的风险。为了解决这个 问题，拟议的培训计划寻求资金，以提高弗吉尼亚联邦大学（VCU）的 联邦政府支持的Title IV-E儿童福利专业培训计划，提供关于AOSUD的专业培训 与正在进行的临床/同行监督和远程教育（ECHO）模式相结合。项目目标包括： (a)招募30名儿童福利专业人员谁是VCU的标题IV-E儿童福利计划的校友， 参加一个为期两年的专门培训计划;（B）评估该计划对个案工作者的影响 技能和信心，筛选，干预和转介儿童福利涉及家庭的影响， （c）确定有效实施AOSUD儿童培训的障碍和促进因素 福利设置。如果没有像这里提出的那样加强培训计划，儿童福利 专业人员将继续缺乏解决AOSUD所需的教育和支持， 大多数家庭和儿童参与儿童福利制度。拥有近150个Title IV-E项目 在35个州，这项创新培训计划的结果将为证据的发展提供信息， 这是一个基于可复制的计划，以改善全国儿童福利成果。

PROJECT SUMMARY Best estimates suggest up to 68% of child welfare cases involve a caregiver with an alcohol and/or other substance use disorder (AOSUDs), which is a significant public health problem given that in 2020 alone there were 3.9 million child welfare referrals involving 7.1 million children! Child welfare professionals lack knowledge of AOSUDs and their evidence-based treatments and many caregivers’ AOSUDs go unidentified and untreated, which puts children at greater risk for maltreatment and out-of-home placements. To address this issue, the proposed training program seeks funding to enhance Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) federally-supported Title IV-E child welfare professional training program with specialized training on AOSUDs integrated with an ongoing clinical/peer supervision and a tele-education (ECHO) model. Project aims include: (a) to recruit 30 child welfare professionals who are alumni of VCU’s Title IV-E child welfare program to participate in a two-year specialized training program; (b) to assess the impact of the program on caseworker skill and confidence in screening, intervening, and referring child-welfare involved families impacted by AOSUDs; and (c) to identify barriers and facilitators to the effective implementation of AOSUD training in child welfare settings. Without enhanced training programs such as the one proposed here, child welfare professionals will continue to lack the education and support they need to address AOSUDs among the majority of families and children involved in the child welfare system. With almost 150 Title IV-E programs across 35 states, the findings from this innovative training program will inform the development of an evidence- based program that can be replicated to improve child welfare outcomes across the country.