Child Welfare for Addiction Professionals

Why Should I Care About Child Welfare Issues?

The number of victims of child maltreatment nationwide is approaching 1 million per year. There are between 1,000 to 5,000 deaths annually due to child abuse and neglect. Most are younger than 6 years of age, and a sizable proportion are less than 1 year old.

Children whose parents have substance-related problems are nearly three times more likely to be physically or sexually assaulted and more than four times more likely to be neglected than other children. Research suggests that substance abuse exists in 40 percent to 80 percent of all cases in the child welfare system.

However, research demonstrates that addiction treatment improves such biopsychosocial measures as reduced substance use, improved mental and physical health, improved psychosocial functioning, improved employment and housing stability, decreased criminality and criminal justice involvement, reduced sex risk behaviors, and improved relapse prevention. Such improvements can go a long way to help parents provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children.