Impact and Response

8.7 Million Children
nationwide have a parent with a substance use disorder 1
1.435 Million
children are living with a parent with opioid use disorder 2
240 Thousand
children had a parent die due to opioid overdose 3
325 Thousand
children have been removed from the home due to parental opioid use 4

Learn more about the impact and response to youth victims.

Age of Children Impacted

  • 0–5 years
    904,000
  • 6–11 years
    662,000
  • 12–17 years
    610,000 5

Opioid/Substance Use Exposure > Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and vulnerability to additional ACEs

  • Physical, emotional or sexual abuse
  • Physical or emotional neglect
  • Loss of or separation from parent
  • Exposure to violence 6

Learn more about the impact and response to youth victims.

Extended ACEs exposure can result in toxic stress that interferes with

a child's brain
development

their ability to manage / regulate stress response

Learn more about the impact and response to youth victims.

Toxic stress adversely impacts the child's ability to

  • sleep
  • pay attention
  • make decisions
  • learn
  • manage behavior
  • establish secure attachments

And potentially can result in

  • increased risky behaviors (smoking, alcohol/drug use)
  • poor academic achievement
  • increased likelihood of chronic disease

Learn more about the impact and response to youth victims.

Responding to Children and Youth

OVC funded 59 child/youth focused projects in 37 states beginning in 2018

Raising Awareness
exclamation point in an orange triangle
  • Child – Youth Victimization
  • Disease of Addiction
  • Youth-Driven & Family-Focus
  • Culturally Responsive
  • Advancing Trauma-Informed Practice and Evidence-Based Services
  • Informed Policy Making
  • Active Cross-Sector Partnering
  • Data Informed Decision Making

Learn more about the impact and response to youth victims.

Best, Promising and Innovative Work Underway

Throughout the United States, children and their families are feeling the impact of substance use. About 1 in 8 children ages 17 or younger reside in a home where at least one parent has a substance use disorder.

Learn more about the work that helps put children and families back on the path forward.

Popular Resources

Alliance for Hope International

Website that provides information and resources in the area of family violence.

Profiles of Select Trauma-Informed Programs - Trauma-Informed Approaches: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice to Build Resilience in Children and Families

To increase awareness of existing trauma-informed programs operating across the country, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and contractors conducted a search to identify TI programs that focus on work related to trauma and children and families at the...

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

This brief summarizes the challenges involved in serving rural child welfare-involved families with substance use issues and highlight differences between rural and non-rural areas. The brief discuss strategies that could help alleviate difficulties in addressing child welfare cases in rural...
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What's Happening?

October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month

Friday, October 8, 2021
National Substance Use Prevention Month, held in October, highlights the vital role of substance abuse prevention in both individual and community health and to remember those who have lost their lives to substance abuse, acknowledge those in recovery, as well as children, parents, family, and...

Celebrate Red Ribbon Week, October 23-31, 2021 (DEA)

Friday, October 8, 2021
Red Ribbon Week, sponsored by DEA, is the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention awareness program. In many communities Red Ribbon Week has turned into a variety of activities implemented throughout the month of October. These activities are meant to demonstrate the importance of making...

Methamphetamine Use, Methamphetamine Use Disorder, and Associated Overdose Deaths Among US Adults (JAMA)

Thursday, September 30, 2021
New study highlighting the significant rise in methamphetamine overdose.
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Our Partners and Other Supporters

For a list of all of our partners and supporters visit Our Supporters page.