Implementing Reinforcement-Based Treatment (RBT) for Substance Use Disorders within child protective service systems in Europe

Child Protective Service Systems in Europe Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Parental substance misuse is a major concern internationally among child protective service systems charged with protecting children from maltreatment. Research in western countries indicates that substance misuse is a contributing factor in the vast majority of maltreatment cases that require child removal from the home. Unfortunately, parents involved in child protective services rarely access or complete treatment for substance misuse. A new approach to addressing the complex interrelated problems experienced by families in which child maltreatment has occurred known as Multi systemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN), is being implemented in numerous sites in the US and Europe. This article describes the provision of Reinforcement-Based Treatment (RBT), an intensive behavioural intervention for substance misuse developed in the US by MST-CAN service providers in Europe. Several challenges encountered in delivering RBT within the European context including balancing abstinence-only and harm reduction perspectives, making drug testing feasible, and implementing vocational interventions are discussed as well as how each challenge was managed. The authors conclude that the implementation of RBT in Europe with a child protective service system population has been successful and encourage further adoption of the model across different European contexts. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/ijptsud.v1i2.7692