A program was developed and implemented to train early childhood educators in two New York City school districts in how to identify and refer students who have been prenatally exposed to drugs or alcohol. Two substance abuse prevention and intervention specialists implemented the program, training 88 teachers in 4 schools. At the end of the…

Alcohol and drug abuse were viewed as a clear way of demonstrating personal or social sophistication in a Canadian secondary school. Neither the school nor the local community had developed a strategy for dealing with the problem of substance abuse among the students. The program described in this report was designed to reduce the level of alcohol…

"Positive Support" examines potential benefits of matching high-risk youth with faith-based mentors. Drawing on surveys and interviews with young people who participated in the National Faith-Based Initiative, we found that mentored youth were less likely to show signs of depression than the youth who were not matched with a mentor. This in turn…

This book helps educators produce assessments of their schools' drug and violence prevention programs. It contains over 30 separate resources that can be adapted to specific evaluations (e.g., sample youth and adult participant feedback sheets, sample classroom observation sheets and teacher implementation logs, sample en-route participant…

This paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the effectiveness of a demonstration program designed to provide in-home intervention with parents and children in families with substance abuse issues. The goals of the program were to prevent further child abuse or neglect, prevent family breakdown and child placement, and facilitate…

A Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) medical college substance abuse education program was evaluated by nine annual student surveys (n=892 students). Significant improvements were found in student attitudes, beliefs in role responsibility, and confidence in skills during preclinical years. Clinical programs emphasizing substance abuse increased…

Drug-exposed infants are having a profound impact on the child welfare system. When community resources are not available to meet the needs of these children and families, requirements of current child welfare laws cannot be met. The range of services necessary for effective child welfare responses is discussed. (SLD)

The effects of a community-based program designed to delay onset and reduce frequency of alcohol and drug use among high-risk youth are evaluated. Implemented in multiple church communities, program components include parent and youth training, early intervention services, and follow-up case management services. Implications for social work are…

Objectives: To assess the impact of a home visiting program in reducing malleable parental risk factors for child abuse in families of newborns identified, through population-based screening, as at-risk of child abuse. Methods: This randomized trial focused on Healthy Start Program (HSP) sites operated by three community-based organizations on…

Treatment outcomes 1 year after release from prison were compared for two subgroups of male inmates with co-occurring serious mental illness and chemical abuse (MICA) disorders, those with a diagnosis for Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD), and those without a diagnosis of APD. The foundation study had randomly assigned inmates to either…

This paper describes the implementation of a Head Start Family Service Center (FSC) program and discusses the impact of such centers on Head Start preschool education. It reviews the role of current Head Start FSCs on the provision of support services to Head Start families, especially in the areas of adult literacy, substance abuse education and…

In 1993, "Signs of Effectiveness in Preventing Alcohol and Other Drug Problems" appeared. It addressed alcohol and other drug use as a health problem influenced by risk factors in five life spheres or domains: individual, family, school, peer group, and community. Like its predecessor, "Signs of Effectiveness II" reports on…

The long-term effectiveness of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) was assessed by contrasting drug use and other D.A.R.E.-related attitudinal latent variables among 356 12th graders who received the program in 6th grade with 264 students who did not receive the program. Results suggest a possible sleeper effect for the program. (SLD)

Presents a conceptual framework that can be used to estimate the costs of prenatal exposure to tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs. Cost estimates that have been made are presented. It is obvious that preventing drug use or smoking should be a first priority of public policymakers. (SLD)

The present study sought to identify drug treatment issues unique to corrections-based residential drug treatment programs for youthful offenders. Based upon qualitative data collected from program administrators and wards at three institution-based substance abuse treatment programs in California, four themes were identified which hold important…