Foster Care Training

Parental substance use has been identified as one of the conditions for removal of children entering out-of-home foster care – and foster youth have disproportionately high levels of variables that are known to intensify their own substance use. Substance-related stigma directly impacts psychological wellbeing and indirectly impacts treatment outcomes and overall health disparities, and foster youth are disproportionately negatively affected. This training will explore practical approaches to reducing stigma towards parents of foster youth who use opioids and their children, including: 1) understanding the need for contextualized theoretical frameworks, 2) addressing personal biases, 3) learning about stigma-reducing policies, 4) using de-stigmatized terminology, 5) engaging in community-based and person-centered practices, 6) participating in interdisciplinary collaborations, and 7) examining the research related to substance-related stigma.