Technical Assistance

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) provides technical assistance (TA) on substance abuse issues in the child welfare population. TA is available to national, state, tribal, and local agencies and individuals. A key feature of NCSACW's efforts is assistance in developing the cross-system partnerships and practice changes that are needed to address the issues of substance use disorders among families in the child welfare system.

All requests for On-site and In-Depth TA are coordinated with CSAT and ACF offices. Approved TA is provided at no charge. A limited amount of on-site TA is provided at no charge based on availability and application process.

NCSACW staff and consultants are available to:

Connect you with materials and other resources, including: publications, journal articles, research and statistics
Answer your questions and refer you to other experts in the fields
Present at conferences, training, and seminars
Consultation on bridging collaboration among substance abuse treatment, child welfare agencies, and the court systems
Facilitate clinical and policy workgroups of substance abuse, child welfare staff and judicial officers
Assist States in preparing for their Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSRs) and developing their Program Improvement Plans (PIPs)

Collaboration in Action

Child welfare, substance abuse treatment and court professionals in States, Tribes, Counties and communities across the country are coming together on behalf of families. They are:

Developing Memoranda of Understanding and shared values statements to guide their collaboration
Putting screening and assessment protocols in place to enhance parent engagement and retention in services
Identifying the special needs of children affected by substance abuse
Creating data systems and information sharing protocols that can support cross-system case management
Finding creative ways to fund comprehensive family centered services.

In-Depth Technical Assistance

NCSACW provides in-depth technical assistance to a few selected sites. Tools, products, resources and documents created by these sites are available for you to put collaboration in action.
More on In-Depth Technical Assistance

Regional Partnership Grantees

The NCSACW provides programmatic technical assistance to the 53 sites awarded the multi-year grants.
More on Regional Partnership Grantees

National Resource Centers of the Children's Bureau, ACYF

The National Resource Centers (NRCs) are funded by the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide training and technical assistance. Each NRC focuses in a different area to help build the capacity of State, local, Tribal and other publicly administered or supported child welfare agencies to achieve safety, permanency, and well-being for children and families.

Find out which National Resource Centers are working in the states by visiting The National Child Welfare Training and Technical Assistance Network.