Different Agencies, Different Goals, Common Client

The purpose of this article was to show difficulties that arise when there are two different agencies with two different goals which are working together with a common client. In this case, the two agencies are the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) funded programs, and the New York City Child Welfare Administration (CWA). Each of these agencies has a different agenda: CSAP is looking to prevent and/or treat alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use in pregnant or women of childbearing age (Linares, 1998, p.254), and the CWA’s ultimate goal is to expediently find a permanent home for the child (p. 256).
The CSAP staffers have complained that the CWA workers have a poor understanding of the nature of addiction (p. 255). For the ATOD mothers, maintaining custody of their children is an important part of the recovery process, as it is often one of the few ways an ATOD dependent mother can establish a link to mainstream society (p. 254). However, as noted by the author (p. 255) that in order for children of ATOD dependent mothers to be properly discharged and integrat…