Meeting the Moment: How child welfare and substance use disorder treatment professionals can address the needs of adolescents at risk of suicide and mental health concerns.

NCSACW invites you to a webinar to learn strategies to help the increasing number of adolescents at risk of suicide and mental health concerns. Among adolescents ages 15-19, rates of suicide began to increase in 2000 from 8 per 100,000 adolescents, reaching a peak of 11.8 per 100,000 adolescents in 2017. In 2019, suicide was the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults. Increases in suicide rates parallel increases among adolescents and young adults with self-harm attempts and depression.

A number of factors, including the opioid epidemic have contributed to the increased number of adolescents at risk of suicide. Adolescents who use opioids and adolescents of parents with opioid use disorders are at increased risk of suicide. Adolescents involved in the child welfare system, particularly those who experience long-term foster care or age out of foster care, are particularly vulnerable. Young adults ages 18-25 years of age have the highest rate of opioid use among all age groups (PDF). In 2017, the suicide rate among young adults ages 20-24 years was 17 per 100,000 young adults, representing the highest rate since 2000. The experiences of young adults who age out of foster care without secure and permanent caregivers magnify the risk of suicide and other mental health concerns.

Join this webinar to learn:

• How to identify adolescents at risk for suicide and mental health concerns.
• Prevention based interventions and strategies for adolescents at risk for suicide and mental health concerns.
• Key strategies and resources to promote resilience, recovery, and positive youth development for adolescents involved in child welfare.

Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Time: 10:00am-11:30pm (PT)/11:00am-12:30pm (MT)/12:00-1:30pm (CT)/1:00 – 2:30pm (ET)

Presenters:

Nancy Young, PhD – Project Director, National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare. Dr. Young will provide a brief overview and highlight key data on adolescents, child welfare, and substance use disorder treatment.

Mighty Fine, MPH, CHES – Director, Center for Public Health Practice and Professional Development, American Public Health Association (APHA). Mr. Fine will discuss prevention based interventions that child welfare, substance use disorder treatment, and other professionals can implement with adolescents.

Mr. Fine’s portfolio at APHSA is focused on enhancing health science, policy, public health practice and public health leadership. He designs, develops, and evaluates public health programs and provides programmatic technical assistance, consultation, and research translation to local, state, and national partners.

Mr. Fine’s extensive experience includes working with families involved with child welfare and across various aspects of public health, including injury and violence prevention, maternal and family health, HIV/AIDS, HCV, social policy, and chronic disease prevention. Having lived and worked in rural and urban environments, Mr. Fine credits this insight with anchoring his understanding of systematic levers of oppression. A core part of his work has focused on addressing the structures that serve as pillars of disadvantage. He has built expertise in the social determinants of health and brings a social justice perspective to the assessment and prevention of public health issues.

Mr. Fine earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Rutgers University and a Master of Public Health from Yale University with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences and Chronic Disease Epidemiology. He is also certified by the National Commission for Health Education as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).

Please submit your questions to the presenters when you register for the webinar.

Registration is free.

Contact Us

NCSACW is a national resource center providing information, expert consultation, training, and technical assistance to child welfare, dependency court, and substance use treatment professionals to improve the safety, permanency, well-being, and recovery outcomes for children, parents, and families. Reach us via email: [email protected] or visit our website: https://ncsacw.samhsa.gov/.

The webinar is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Children’s Bureau.