Courses 

In their work with child protection issues, D&A services need to manage the complexity of the intersections between substance use, child abuse and neglect and their legislative and policy requirements. Recent reports by the Ombudsman on Reviewable Deaths outline the need to support D&A workers’ capacity to respond more appropriately to the risks faced by children of substance using parents in relation to their D&A use and the increased risk of neglect, physical abuse and exposure to domestic violence. This 3-day workshop will explore child protection issues, with particular emphasis on child protection in the context of domestic violence. The training will invite workers to build on their existing knowledge to better meet the needs of those clients who are parents. It will propose ways of working that fit child protection concerns alongside those of the parents, rather than an ‘either/or’ dichotomy. The course will address pre natal reporting, parental responsibility contracts (PRCs) and drug testing, the intersection of domestic violence, neglect and parental substance use, engagement strategies where there are child protection concerns and the development of effective intra and inter agency networks and partnerships