Indicator Description
Working with the child welfare system presents opportunities to help parents and children in families with substance use problems. In many cases, child abuse and neglect appears to be associated with documented use of alcohol and other drugs. The number of child abuse and neglect cases among substance using parents is one indicator of harm to family function and child health.

In some communities there is no distinction made between abuse cases where substance use is a factor and those where it is not. In communities where information on substance use is reported, however, these specific cases may be tracked.

What to Measure

The number of child abuse/neglect victims:

• Use the same definition of a case for tracking cases over time. Various definitions include "alleged reports," "substantiated" cases, "investigated" cases, and the number of victims or family cases.
• Report the number of cases per 100,000 children in the population.
• Track the percent of all child abuse cases where parental substance use is a factor.

The presence of policies to address substance use in the family:

• Screening, brief interventions, and referral programs.
• Working relationships with treatment programs that specialize in treatment for women with children.
• Providing parenting classes and other educational opportunities.

Where to Find Local Data
Contact the appropriate state agency, such as the department of social services or child welfare, for trend data on your community. Finding the appropriate agency may require some detective work. States define their own investigative procedures and child welfare service systems. There may be a number of data sources to be contacted within each state.

Interpretation Guidelines

•  Although this indicator taps into an important harm from substance use, interpreting trends in data is particularly challenging. An increase in child abuse reports may reflect more public awareness, improvements in reporting systems, and more attention to drug and alcohol problems, in addition to any possible increase in drug and alcohol problems among families. You must investigate the factors that may be leading to changes in the number of substance use-related cases.
• Because of differences in state and local child abuse statutes and practices, it is also difficult to accurately interpret differing rates among communities. The scope of what constitutes reportable acts of child abuse and neglect varies by state statutes and local practices.

Resources

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW)

New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. Prevention Risk Indicator Services Monitoring System for Alcohol and Substance Abuse: 2003 Risk Profile for St. Lawrence County, December 2003.