Welfare reform, child welfare, and families with substance abuse

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Welfare Reform, Child Welfare, and Families with Substance Abuse

RWJ 051096 / Supplement to RWJ 047653: PROJECT SUMMARY

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships between welfare reform, parents with alcohol and drug problems, and the child welfare system. Under welfare reform, state and local welfare providers are implementing a variety of policies that impact substance-abusing clients, including compulsory and voluntary substance abuse treatment, federal aid restrictions for convicted drug felons, work requirements, time limits, and economic sanctions for non-complying welfare recipients. Because of the considerable overlap between the welfare and child welfare caseloads, these substance abuse-related policies also impact the child welfare system and the families it serves. The potential effects of welfare reform on the child welfare system are a major concern for policymakers and advocates of children and families.

The study aims to: (1) examine how welfare reform policies are impacting parents with alcohol and drug problems who are already involved with, or at risk of entering, the child welfare system; and (2) investigate how the differing service philosophies, worker responsibilities to clients, and competing time requirements of each of the welfare, substance abuse treatment, and child welfare systems impact service delivery and integration for treating families with alcohol and drug problems. In-depth interviews with service providers from welfare, child welfare, and substance abuse treatment agencies provide insight into how welfare reform policies are impacting families with substance abuse problems. Interview data will be analyzed using qualitative methods to examine service providers’ daily routines as well as interagency collaborations that may have been influenced by welfare reform’s impact on substance abusing families. The results of this research have the potential to inform policymakers and practitioners about the need for increased collaboration among the welfare, child welfare, and substance abuse treatment systems in order to achieve positive outcomes for welfare families with alcohol and drug problems.

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Last updating of page: June 7, 2004