Mothers in treatment for substance use: using electronic records to understand individual and treatment characteristics Parents in treatment for substance use: using electronic records to understand Individual and treatment characteristics associated with childcare and parental outcomes

TY - BOOK

T1 - Mothers in treatment for substance use: using electronic records to understand individual and treatment characteristics Parents in treatment for substance use: using electronic records to understand Individual and treatment characteristics associated with childcare and parental outcomes

AU - Canfield, Martha

AU - Rehman, Zara

AU - Norton, Sam

AU - PMM Wijlaars, Linda

AU - Downs, Johnny

AU - Gilchrist, Gail

PY - 2024/6/3

Y1 - 2024/6/3

N2 - Considerable research has explored the implications of parental substance use on child well-being and heath, including child maltreatment and abuse. In England, parental substance use is presented in almost two thirds of public family law proceedings cases (‘care proceedings’) (Pearson et al., 2021; Public Health England, 2018). The risk of involvement in care proceedings is intensified by the child’s exposure to adversities associated with parental substance use, including domestic violence and parental mental health problems. Approximately 4% of all children in England are exposed to the cooccurrence of these problems (Chowdry, 2018). Socioeconomic adversities that are typically related to substance use (i.e., unstable housing and economic hardship) place additional stress on parents’ abilities to provide the minimum care necessary to their children’s development. While a parental substance use problem is not always the primary reason for family court proceedings, it is a significant contributor. Mothers, as the primary caregivers, are more likely to be involved in child protection services and to manage the effects of their substance use while caring for the children. Worldwide, studies have demonstrated that maternal substance use is associated with a heightened risk of children being removed from the home, and with permanent loss of parental rights. However, not all mothers who use substances neglect and/or abuse their children and require care proceedings. Those who have lost the right to care for their children often have multiple and complex needs. In England, limited information on individual, treatment and childcare status of mothers receiving substance use treatment contributes to a lack of evidence-based practices to address the needs of these mothers during care proceedings. In this research project we applied data science approaches to describe the individual and treatment characteristics of mothers attending South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) substance use treatment services including their involvement with care proceedings. As the project progressed, we learned that we could apply a similar methodological approach to explore the characteristics of fathers in substance use services. Therefore, we expanded the scope of this project to identify who the fathers’ receiving treatment for substance use are and the childcare responsibilities of those fathers who were involved in care proceedings.

AB - Considerable research has explored the implications of parental substance use on child well-being and heath, including child maltreatment and abuse. In England, parental substance use is presented in almost two thirds of public family law proceedings cases (‘care proceedings’) (Pearson et al., 2021; Public Health England, 2018). The risk of involvement in care proceedings is intensified by the child’s exposure to adversities associated with parental substance use, including domestic violence and parental mental health problems. Approximately 4% of all children in England are exposed to the cooccurrence of these problems (Chowdry, 2018). Socioeconomic adversities that are typically related to substance use (i.e., unstable housing and economic hardship) place additional stress on parents’ abilities to provide the minimum care necessary to their children’s development. While a parental substance use problem is not always the primary reason for family court proceedings, it is a significant contributor. Mothers, as the primary caregivers, are more likely to be involved in child protection services and to manage the effects of their substance use while caring for the children. Worldwide, studies have demonstrated that maternal substance use is associated with a heightened risk of children being removed from the home, and with permanent loss of parental rights. However, not all mothers who use substances neglect and/or abuse their children and require care proceedings. Those who have lost the right to care for their children often have multiple and complex needs. In England, limited information on individual, treatment and childcare status of mothers receiving substance use treatment contributes to a lack of evidence-based practices to address the needs of these mothers during care proceedings. In this research project we applied data science approaches to describe the individual and treatment characteristics of mothers attending South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) substance use treatment services including their involvement with care proceedings. As the project progressed, we learned that we could apply a similar methodological approach to explore the characteristics of fathers in substance use services. Therefore, we expanded the scope of this project to identify who the fathers’ receiving treatment for substance use are and the childcare responsibilities of those fathers who were involved in care proceedings.

M3 - Report

BT - Mothers in treatment for substance use: using electronic records to understand individual and treatment characteristics Parents in treatment for substance use: using electronic records to understand Individual and treatment characteristics associated with childcare and parental outcomes

PB - Nuffield Foundation

ER -