Challenges in Providing Substance Use Disorder Treatment to Child Welfare Clients in Rural Communities

Rural communities have been particularly hard-hit by substance use. Rural communities often lack the resources to provide services to parents struggling with substance use issues. Rural economics, transportation and technological limitations exacerbate these challenges. Child welfare agencies and substance use disorder treatment providers face particular challenges to collaboration with one another in rural communities. Stigma, lack of anonymity and misinformation compound these issues. Strategies specifically tailored to rural communities are needed to improve service access, develop workforce capacity and improve collaboration. This brief describes strategies and promising models.