Substance use disorder in families often leads to involvement in child welfare systems. Research shows that removal of a child from a family is traumatic for both the child and parents and can impede the parent’s journey to recovery. Many programs now employ family peer mentors or recovery specialists to work with the families on their treatment plan, connect parents and children to services and resources, and provide support as they go through a difficult process.
In this collection, we feature general information about family peer mentor programs, resources from the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) model for family peer support, and resources from the state of Ohio’s version of the START model.
General information about family peer mentors:
- An overview of programs that use family peer mentors or recovery specialists to serve families affected by substance use disorder who are involved with the child welfare system from the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
- A link to the website for peer and recovery support services at the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
- A training guide for peer recovery mentors working with the child welfare system from the Oregon Regional Facilitation Center
- An overview of state Medicaid coverage of family and youth peer support services from the University of Maryland School of Social Work
- A briefing paper explaining parent partner programs from the National Judicial Opioid Task Force
- A report on operationalizing and funding youth and parent peer support services in residential treatment settings
- A 2-page patient guide about peer support services for families from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Spanish language version of the guide
Resources for implementing the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) model for family peer support:
- A 9-minute video that explains the model and features stories from mentors and the families they serve
- A brief overview of the START model from Addiction Policy Forum
- A program manual that explains the basic tenets and essential elements of the START model from Children and Family Futures
- A link to the website for Children and Family Futures which provides technical assistance to communities implementing START programs
- A list of peer-reviewed journal articles written about the START model
Materials from Ohio’s version of the START model named Sobriety, Treatment and Reducing Trauma (SMART) Program:
- A link to the Ohio START Program’s website
- A 2-page brochure explaining the Ohio START Program
- A 2-page document describing the impact Ohio’s START Program on family and child outcomes
Readers may also be interested in reviewing CLOUD’s featured collections on Addiction’s Impact on Children and Families and Substance Use Disorder in Pregnant and Parenting Women.
If you have additional materials we should consider including in this collection, please see our call for submissions page.
The Use of Peers and Recovery Specialists in Child Welfare Settings
Source: National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
This guide provides information on service models that use family peer mentors or recovery specialists to serve families affected by substance use disorder (SUD) who are involved with the child welfare system. The guide describes 2 models:
Peer and Recovery Specialist Support
Source: National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
The website for peer and recovery support services at the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare includes reports to download and links to resources, trainings, and webinars.
Substance Use Disorder Peer Delivered Services Child Welfare Best Practices Curriculum
Source: Southern Oregon Regional Facilitation Center
This training guide for peer recovery mentors working the child welfare system is notable for its description of 10 best practices for family peer support mentors.
Medicaid Funding for Family and Youth Peer Support Programs in the United States
Source: SAMHSA & The TA Network
This 2020 overview of state Medicaid coverage of family and youth peer support services, prepared by the Institute for Innovation and Implementation at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, describes the efforts of states who reimburse for these peer support services.
Parent Partner Programs: Promising Practice to Keep Families Struggling with Substance Use Disorder Together
Source: National Judicial Opioid Task Force
This briefing paper from the National Judicial Opioid Task Force provides an overview of parent partner programs, where parents facing child welfare or dependency proceedings are paired with a peer adviser who helps them understand and navigate the process. Parent partner programs in Washington, Iowa,
Operationalizing and Funding Youth and Parent Peer Support Roles in Residential Treatment Settings
Source: SAMHSA & The TA Network
This 7-page report provides an overview of operationalizing and funding youth and parent peer support services in residential treatment settings. The report defines the continuum of services from involvement to engagement, describes the services provided by youth and parent peer support, and provides an overview of financing and sustainability strategies.
Family, Parent, and Caregiver Peer Support in Behavioral Health
Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
This 2-pager provides an overview of peer specialist services for families, parents, and caregivers supporting children and youth receiving mental health or substance use disorder services.
Family, Parent, and Caregiver Peer Support in Behavioral Health – Spanish Language Version
Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
This 2-page Spanish language resource provides an overview of peer specialist services for families, parents, and caregivers supporting children and youth receiving mental health or substance use disorder services.
Spotlight: Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams
Source: Addiction Policy Forum
A brief overview of the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) model for serving families with active child protective services (CPS) cases and parental substance misuse. The START model pairs a CPS caseworker with a family mentor who has lived experience with recovery and CPS system and the 2 engage the family in a sustained strengths based approach. START teams have limited case loads of 12 to 15 families. Research has shown that families who receive START services as opposed to usual care in the CPS system were more likely to achieve abstinence, children were less likely to be placed in state custody, and the state saves money in foster care costs. This report is part of the Addiction Policy Forum’s spotlight series.
Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START): Implementation Manual
Source: Kentucky Department for Community Based Services and Children and Family Futures
This program manual explains the basic tenets and essential elements of the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) model for working with families affected by substance use disorder and child welfare involvement.
Sobriety Treatment Evaluation and Recovery Teams Evaluation and Publication List
Source: Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START)
This one pager provides a list of peer-reviewed journal articles written about the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) model for serving families affected by addiction and child welfare system involvement.
Ohio START Program
Source: Public Children Services Association of Ohio
The Ohio Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma (START) Program provides wrap-around services to children and families impacted by opiates and other drugs.
Ohio START Program Brochure
Source: Public Children Services Association of Ohio
This 2-page brochure explains Ohio’s Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma (START) Program, which provides family peer support and other services to children and families impacted by opiates and other addictive substances. The brochure explains the program with an emphasis on the role of family peer mentors.
Ohio START 2019 Impact Report
Source: Public Children Services Association of Ohio
This 2-page document describes the impact of the Ohio Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma (START) program, which provides wrap-around services to children and families impacted by opiates and other addictive substances. Also included in this resource is information on services provided by the START teams in Ohio in 2019.