The Center for Drug Abuse Prevention in the Child Welfare System (CDAP-CWS) brings together scientists and national experts who are dedicated to advancing and influencing the application of scientific knowledge and policies in the Child Welfare System.
The Child Welfare System nationally faces increasing challenges resulting from dramatically high rates of drug abuse in the families it serves. An estimated 4.5% of the U.S. child population and up to 7% of all children and adolescents will have some involvement in the Child Welfare System during their lifetime. CDAP strives to increase the effectiveness of current federal grants and influence the development of new proposals, collaborations, and services that directly impact drug abuse prevention policy and programming.
CDAP is funded by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and is an extension of the Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC) in Eugene, Oregon.
Led by Principal Investigator John Reid, the Center includes 11 multi-disciplinary scientists and an external advisory board comprised of local and national experts in child services, policy, and substance use research. The Center’s senior scientists include Patricia Chamberlain, Dave DeGarmo, Phil Fisher, John Landsverk, Leslie Leve, and Katherine Pears. Support is also planned for the professional development of four scientists.
The Center will study three primary focus areas: the relationship between stress, neurobiology, and genetics and drug abuse; the role of fathers in the child welfare system; and an economic evaluation of a set of child welfare costs related specifically to the placement of children in out-of-home care.