Introduction to Cross-System Data Sources in Child Welfare, Alcohol and Other Drug Services, and Courts

摘要

In many families that are involved in the child welfare system and juvenile dependency court, one or both parents has a substance abuse disorder. In a survey by the National Center on Child Abuse Prevention Research, 85% of States reported that substance abuse was one of the two major problems exhibited by families in which maltreatment was suspected (National Center on Child Abuse Prevention Research, 2001). Studies have shown that between one-third and two-thirds of child maltreatment cases involve substance abuse (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). Data indicate that abused or neglected children from families with a substance-abusing parent are more likely to be placed in foster care and to remain there longer than maltreated children from families without a substance-abusing parent (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). This guide describes the primary data-reporting systems used in the child welfare, alcohol and other drug services, and court systems. The document describes 15 data-reporting systems, including 8 child welfare systems, 5 alcohol and other drug service systems, 2 initiatives to implement a national data reporting system in the courts, and 1 enterprise health information system for data on American Indian and Alaska Native families. This report is a companion guide to Facilitating Cross-System Collaboration: A Primer on Child Welfare, Alcohol and Other Drug Services, and Courts. The primer provides basic information on child welfare, alcohol and other drug services, and court systems to support cross-system communication and coordination within State, county, and tribal jurisdictions. The primary audiences for these two documents include jurisdictions that are interested in developing cross-system relationships. The documents are tailored to management and administrative personnel in State, county, and tribal jurisdictions child welfare, alcohol and other drug services, and court systems.