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

Emoji Drug Code Decoded

A reference guide parents and others about the use of emojis in conjunction with illegal drugs.

SPACECAT - Suicide Overdose and Adverse Chilhood Experiences Prevention Capacity Assessment Tool

The Suicide, Overdose, and Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention Capacity Assessment Tool (SPACECAT) is designed for local, state, and territorial health agencies to better understand their capacity to address suicide, overdose, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

Five Things About School-Based Violence Prevention and Intervention Programs (NIJ)

Statement sheet highlighting school-based prevention and intervention programs.
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What's Happening?

SAMHSA Announces Funding Opportunities for Grants Addressing Substance Misuse, Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery among Pregnant, Postpartum Women

Monday, January 30, 2023
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is announcing Notices of Funding Opportunity for two grant programs aimed at preventing substance misuse and treating substance use disorder (SUD) among pregnant and postpartum women in the United States.

Administration for Children and Families Funding Opportunity: Best Practices to Strengthen Family Support in Child Maltreatment Reporting and Prevention

Monday, January 30, 2023
This Notice of Funding Opportunity is to solicit proposals for one grant project to support the development and dissemination of best practices to strengthen the capacity of child abuse hotline staff to distinguish between poverty and willful neglect.

COSSAP Year in Review 2022: Training and Technical Assistance Providers Highlight Their Most Impactful Products

Monday, January 30, 2023
The training and technical assistance providers that support the Bureau of Justice Assistance Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSUP) grantees produced a host of impactful products in 2022. The products not only enhanced the efficiency and reach of the COSSUP...
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