Collaboration strategies affecting implementation of a cross-systems intervention for child welfare and substance use treatment: a mixed methods analysis.

Background: Collaboration strategies refer to policies and practices used to align operations and services across organizations or systems. These strategies can influence implementation of cross-system interventions focused on improving integration of care, but remain under-specified and under-examined. This study identifies collaboration strategies and the conditions under which they affected implementation of Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START), an evidence-based intervention focused on integrating child welfare and behavioral health services for families involved with both systems.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Women Who Are Sex Trafficked, and Social Service Utilization: Implications for Social Work.

The aim of this study was to examine the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the high levels of social service usage by women who are sex trafficked. Fifty (N = 50) women who were sex trafficked were surveyed using purposive and snowball sampling methods. The ACEs score for respondents ranged from 2 to 10 with an average score of 7.

Exploring the association between post-critical incident intervention preferences and self-reported coping self-efficacy among firefighters.

Critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) is a commonly utilized intervention in the fire service that aims to minimize psychological harm and adverse mental health outcomes after a potentially traumatic incident. This study aimed to explore firefighter preferences regarding CISD and alternative post-critical incident interventions in relation to firefighter coping self-efficacy (FFCSE) and trauma coping self-efficacy (CSE-T). Firefighters (N = 241) completed an online survey and provided complete data.

Promoting permanency in families with parental substance misuse: lessons from a process evaluation of a multi-system program.

Background: Families affected by substance misuse are at increased risk for child maltreatment and child welfare system involvement. The Enhancing Permanency in Children and Families (EPIC) program uses four evidence-based and informed multi-system practices to promote safety and permanency outcomes for children involved with the child welfare system due to parental substance misuse: 1) Peer Recovery Support (PRS), 2) Family Treatment Drug Court (FTDC), 3) Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) and 4) Nurturing Parent Program (NPP) relational skill-building. The purpose of the current study was to identify barriers, facilitators, and lessons learned in the implementation of and client engagement with the main components of EPIC.

Racism and Structural Violence: Interconnected Threats to Health Equity.

In 2020, the continuing murder of Black Americans by police officers received widespread media attention and sparked global outrage. Public health responses to these events focused on discrimination by police and structural racism in broader society. However, police violence is but one of many forms of racialized violence propagated by structural racism and anti-Black racism in particular.

Benchmarking Trauma in Child Welfare: A Brief Report.

Trauma exposure is common; however, considerably higher rates are reported in some vulnerable groups including adults and children involved in child welfare systems. In this context, early screening and service linkage may ameliorate its negative impact on the physical and mental well-being of adults and children alike. Using data from two Ohio-based child welfare interventions targeting co-occurring maltreatment and substance use (Ohio START and EPIC2), the purpose of this brief report was to first describe the rate of trauma exposure among participating adults (Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs, = 402), children 0-5 years (CTAC, = 271) and youth 6-18 years (CTAC, = 177), and second to benchmark observed rates against reported rates in other child welfare or similar populations across the United States.

Enhancing Permanency in Children and Families (EPIC): a child welfare intervention for parental substance abuse.

Background: Across Ohio, parental substance abuse has contributed to a marked increase in the number of children in foster care. Children exposed to parental substance use have a higher likelihood of physical abuse and neglect, and consequently a variety of physical, psychological and cognitive problems. The Enhancing Permanency in Children and Families (EPIC) program is a collaborative effort between the Ohio State University College of Social Work, two county offices of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, two juvenile courts and local behavioral health agencies.

When Is Hope Enough? Hopefulness, Discrimination and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Allostatic Load.

Hopefulness is associated with better health and may be integral for stress adaptation and resilience. Limited research has prospectively examined whether hopefulness protects against physiological dysregulation or does so similarly for U.S.

Problem Drinking and Marijuana Use as Risks for Unidirectional and Bidirectional Partner Violence.

Despite evidence that most who perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV) also report victimization, little is known about bidirectional IPV among Emergency Department (ED) patients and its association with problem drinking and marijuana use. We conducted an observational, cross-sectional survey among low- and moderate-acuity patients at a Northern California safety-net ED. Physical IPV was measured with the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2).

Examining the Impact of Child Adversity on Use of Preventive Health Care among Children.

Child adversity has a negative impact on child and adult health. The present study aimed to determine whether adverse family experiences (AFEs) were associated with use of preventive health care (PHC) among children and whether insurance status affected this association. This study examined data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health (N = 88,849) and included responses for children ages zero to 17 years.

Investigating Relationships Between Drinking Venues, Drinking Companions, and Corporal Punishment of Children.

Limited evidence suggests that how much a parent drinks in a particular venue, such as a bar, restaurant, or a friend's home, is associated with use of corporal punishment. However, these relationships could differ depending on their drinking companions (e.g.

Introducing Technology in Child Welfare Referrals: A Case Study.

Access to social services is important for the safety of children and ultimately for reunification of families involved in the child welfare system. The process of linking families to services however, varies by caseworker and can be cumbersome and time-consuming. The DCFS Needs Portal is an internet-based intervention to improve the timing and quality of social service referrals in Los Angeles County We used a case study approach including in-depth interviews, direct observations and user feedback obtained from the Needs Portal to 1) determine perceived benefits and barriers to adopting the Needs Portal and 2) report how the flow of information between users and developers was used to adapt to user needs.

Childhood trauma and health outcomes in adults with comorbid substance abuse and mental health disorders.

This study describes the prevalence of childhood traumatic events (CTEs) among adults with comorbid substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental health problems (MHPs) and assesses the relation between cumulative CTEs and adult health outcomes. Adults with SUDs/MHPs (N=402) were recruited from residential treatment programs and interviewed at treatment admission. Exposures to 9 types of adverse childhood experiences were summed and categorized into 6 ordinal levels of exposure.