How does Help Me Grow support families with Plan of Safe Care?
Help Me Grow Washington is a free service that connects parents and caregivers to statewide and local resources. These supports are from pregnancy to children from birth to 5 years old.
Families can get connected to:
- Food Stamps (Basic Food) and food banks
- The Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
- Lactation support
- Early intervention services
- Home Visiting
- Pregnancy and baby supplies
- Health insurance
- Housing and utilities help
- Developmental screenings
- Addiction recovery resources
- Mental and behavioral health support
- Legal resources
- Parenting education and support groups
- Child care and educational opportunities
- Transportation
- Family-friendly activities
Who helped design Washington's Plan of Safe Care?
- Health care providers such as OBGYNs, Addiction Medicine specialists, certified midwives, nurse practitioners, hospital social workers, and nurse managers
- DCYF Child Welfare staff including supervisors and Area Administrators, Program Managers, Regional Safety Administrators, and Quality Practice Specialists
- Substance Use Disorder Treatment/Medication Assisted Treatment Agency Leadership, The Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR) program managers, and medical officer
- Home Visitors: Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) staff from various jurisdictions across the state
- Tribal Partners: Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) managers, Tribal representatives
- Early Intervention Providers: Infant care managers
- State agency partners: DCYF, Department of Health (DOH), Health Care Authority (HCA), and the Washington State Hospital Association
How have federal legislative changes impacted infants exposed to substances during pregnancy?
The goal of the recent federal legislation and state policies is to support the infant's health, the birthing parent, and the family through a Plan of Safe Care.
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016 built on previous legislation to expand the framework for comprehensively addressing the opioid epidemic, including:
- Planning for the safe care of infants born with prenatal substance exposure,
- infants experiencing withdrawal symptoms at birth, and/or
- those impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
Now, any state receiving Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) grants must:
- Address the health and substance use disorder treatment needs of the affected infant and the infant's family or caregiver, and
- specify a system for monitoring the local provision of services in accordance with these state requirements.
