101570: Substance Abuse and Welfare Reform

About the Course:

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act ended a 60-year-old federal entitlement, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, replacing it with the transitional program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Substance abuse and dependence proved less common among TANF recipients than was initially feared, but the identification, assessment, and treatment of recipients with these disorders raises complex issues for policymakers. This publication addresses some of those issues.

This course is from our series “Substance Abuse and Societal Issues”. The series is based on Knowledge Assets, published by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program.

Our other courses in the series include:

101568-Alcohol Retail Policy

101569-DUI Policy

101564-Increasing the Use of Smoking Cessation Treatments

101570-Substance Abuse and Welfare Reform

101563-Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Substance Abuse Treatment

101574-Syringe Access Interventions

101575-Minimum Legal Drinking Age Policy

101577-Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Addiction

101576-Drug Treatment for Drug Abusing Criminal Offenders

Publication Date:

July 2007

Authors

Lisa Metsch, Ph.D.; Harold Pollack, Ph.D.

About the Authors:

Lisa Metsch is associated with the University of Miami School of Medicine.

Harold Pollack is associated with the University of Chicago.

Recommended For:

This course is recommended for health care professionals, especially addiction counselors, psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, and nurses who seek knowledge about substance abuse and welfare reform. It is appropriate for all levels of participants’ knowledge.

Course Objectives:

1. Explain issues related to screening, case management, and comprehensive services for substance-abusing welfare recipients.

2. Discuss the prevalence of substance use among welfare recipients.

3. Identify challenges for policymakers raised by Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients with substance use disorders.