Addressing the treatment needs of children affected by maternal addiction: Challenges and solutions

This paper examines treatment needs of the children of women served in the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's Residential Women and Children and Pregnant and Postpartum Women (RWC/PPW) program. It integrates statistical information from CSAT's cross-site evaluation of the program and clinical insights obtained from one RWC treatment site, the Arkansas CARES project. The cross-site data provide broad-based information about the extent to which clients' children experience various risk factors, while the project data provide concrete information about major administrative and clinical challenges to the provision of needed child services in a parent-focused residential treatment setting. Data from both perspectives suggest that many children admitted into residential treatment with their mothers need an array of long-term supportive services, requiring a new focus and a commitment of resources from substance abuse treatment providers.