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...
View more popular resources

What's Happening?

Funding Opportunity: IHS: Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention Program: Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Aftercare, Application Deadline February 2, 2022

Friday, November 19, 2021
The primary purpose of this program is to reduce the prevalence of substance abuse and decrease the overall use of addicting and illicit substances among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations.

Funding Opportunity: IHS: Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention Program: Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention, Application Deadline February 2, 2022

Friday, November 19, 2021
The primary purpose of this program is to reduce the prevalence of suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations

Funding Opportunity: IHS: Zero Suicide Initiative, Application Deadline February 2, 2022

Friday, November 19, 2021
The `Zero Suicide' model focuses on developing a system-wide approach to improving care for individuals at risk of suicide who are currently using health and behavioral health systems.
View more happenings

What's working where you are?

Share with us your involvement with activities and projects in your community.

Get Involved

Getting involved improves prospects for the protections and promising futures children and youth deserve.

Our Partners and Other Supporters

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