Bringing Families Together: Models of Hope and Recovery

Discover how communities are strengthening linkages among child welfare, mental health services, substance use treatment, and the court systems to improve outcomes for children and families.

This video features the 10-Element Framework: Elements of System Linkages, developed by the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) to help States, Tribal, and local communities overcome barriers and identify strategies to facilitate effective partnerships between mental health services, substance use treatment, child welfare, and family courts. NCSACW is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF).

Two programs are highlighted in this DVD, one in Miami, Dade County, Florida and one in Sacramento County, California. Each addresses the challenges across service systems to ensure that families affected by mental and substance use disorders and in the child welfare system get the support they need to live safe, productive lives.

By employing strategies from the 10-Element Framework, both communities are achieving higher success rates, increasing reunification, and minimizing the revolving door that brings families struggling with substance use disorders back into the courts.