New Resources: 5 Things to Know About Each Level of FASD Prevention

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The Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health (CEWH) has developed four new information sheets that emphasize five key points about each level of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Prevention.

  • Level 1: Focuses on broad public awareness about alcohol-related pregnancy risks and promotes overall health and wellness
  • Level 2: Encourages open, non-judgemental discussions about alcohol, reproductive health, and pregnancy with all individuals of childbearing age and their support networks
  • Level 3: Offers collaborative, community-based programs for pregnant individuals that address intersecting needs through integrated and holistic supports
  • Level 4: Provides ongoing, evidence-based postnatal supports and enhances early intervention for children prenatally exposed to alcohol

Highlights from Level 1: Broad Awareness & Health Promotion

Level 1 prevention focuses not only on raising broad public awareness about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy but also on promoting overall health and wellness. Everyone has a role to play in supporting healthy pregnancies. When FASD prevention is framed as a shared responsibility, we can collectively understand the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy and how we can support alcohol-free pregnancies.

Highlights from Level 2: Discussion of Alcohol Use & Related Risks

Level 2 prevention encourages non-judgemental conversations about alcohol use, reproductive health, and pregnancy. These conversations can enhance informed decision-making and promote health for those who may be planning a pregnancy. Including partners and support networks in these discussions can further strengthen supportive environments, helping to reduce substance use pressures and fostering positive, health-optimizing changes. 

Highlights from Level 3: Specialized Holistic Support

Level 3 prevention emphasizes the importance of community-based, holistic supports for individuals who are pregnant, consuming alcohol, and facing other health or social challenges. This level aims to address the intersecting needs of women and gender-diverse individuals through integrated programming. A holistic approach to FASD prevention recognizes how the social determinants of health can influence the consumption of alcohol and other substances during pregnancy.

Highlights from Level 4: Postpartum Support

Level 4 prevention provides evidence-informed, ongoing postnatal support that help mothers maintain the healthful changes made during pregnancy. This level focuses on connecting families with resources that can positively enhance overall health, well-being, and quality of life. Prevention does not end after childbirth; rather, continued postnatal support ensures that the needs of postpartum individuals and their children are addressed. Access to early interventions ensures that children who were prenatally exposed to alcohol receive the supports they need to thrive.

Conclusion

FASD prevention is a shared responsibility that spans across the life course. From raising public awareness to providing individualized, postnatal support, the four levels of prevention can help reduce alcohol-exposed pregnancies, support positive maternal and child health outcomes, and create environments where individuals feel safe, respected, and empowered. These new evidence-based resources highlight the importance of FASD prevention at every level.

Canada FASD Conference 2025: Key Learnings about FASD Prevention

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The second biennial Canadian FASD Conference took place in Toronto, Ontario, this past October. Researchers, healthcare professionals, policy makers, caregivers, parents, and individuals with FASD gathered from across the globe to share knowledge and research. The conference featured panel discussions, oral presentations, and workshops that focused on various topics including FASD prevention, women’s health, truth and reconciliation, criminal justice, mental health, and service provision. In this blog, we highlight some of the key conference takeaways related to preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies and women’s health.

Understanding FASD Prevention through a Trauma-Informed Lens

Trauma can profoundly influence alcohol use during pregnancy, thus it is essential that prevention strategies recognize its role. Speakers emphasized that using strength-based, person-centred, and trauma-informed approaches to FASD prevention avoids the pitfalls of a deficit-based lens, and instead focuses on the resilience and capabilities of individuals and families. Prevention efforts should be collaborative, respectful, and inclusive, encouraging all women and families to engage in care that recognizes their individual  realities. FASD prevention, when viewed through a trauma-informed lens, becomes less about changing behaviour and more about supporting the strengths and well-being of individuals.  

Language Matters: Shifting the Narrative to Reduce Stigma

Several presentations highlighted how stigmatizing language in some existing FASD prevention campaigns can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and evoke feelings of blame and shame among individuals who may have consumed alcohol during pregnancy. The use of stigmatizing language can discourage individuals from seeking support and engaging in care, which contradicts best practices for FASD prevention efforts. To counter this, researchers from the Canada FASD Research Network emphasized the need for respectful and inclusive language that avoids evoking feelings of blame and shame. Shifting how we speak about alcohol use during pregnancy and FASD is crucial to destigmatizing and normalizing conversations about women’s health, alcohol, and pregnancy. As one speaker noted,“we must take the responsibility off of the women’s shoulders and work towards creating circles of care around them.”

Women’s Health and the Social Context of Alcohol

Conference speakers also delved into the social and cultural contexts of alcohol use, emphasizing how deeply alcohol is engrained into our everyday lives. Alcohol is associated with social connections, celebration and coping, and is perceived as a solution to stress, isolation, and trauma. For women, the pressures surrounding alcohol use are complex. Understanding these dynamics are key to developing realistic and empathetic prevention strategies that resonate with women’s lived experiences and reflect the complex realities surrounding alcohol use and alcohol use during pregnancy. Speakers underscored the importance of rethinking of how society frames alcohol use. By shifting this perspective, prevention efforts can focus more on building supportive environments that empower women to make informed decisions about their alcohol consumption.

Other Key Takeaways

  • Early and ongoing interventions are essential – not only during pregnancy but throughout the lifespan. There are significant gaps in continuity of care, which can perpetuate ongoing challenges for individuals related to health, education, housing, finances, employment, community involvement, and social inclusion.
  • There are many opportunities for health and social service providers to support people who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy – whether it be through direct service provision, mentorship, peer support, or community-led initiatives. These allow individuals with FASD, women, and their families to access essential supports, services, and resources.

Looking Ahead

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to preventing alcohol use in pregnancy. Effective FASD prevention is about creating environments that promotes health, dignity, and empowerment for women, families, and individuals with FASD. By grounding FASD prevention efforts in trauma-informed practice, rethinking the societal and cultural meanings of alcohol, and shifting the language we can move towards a future where women, families, and individuals with FASD are supported, not judged. As one speaker stated, “Support makes success possible.”

What’s New in FASD Prevention Research? Highlights from the Annotated Bibliography of Articles Published in 2024

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This year’s Annotated Bibliography of Articles Published in 2024 was just released – just in time for FASD Awareness Month! The Annotated Bibliography is a resource that is prepared by researchers associated with the Prevention Network Action Team (pNAT) of the CanFASD Research Network.  our goal is to update all those involved in FASD prevention on the latest research that can inform their practice and policy work.

This year’s Annotated Bibliography included 107 English-language articles from 24 countries. Countries with the highest number of articles published were the USA (52 articles), Canada (12 articles), Australia (11 articles), and the United Kingdom (7 articles). However, we also saw research for countries such as Chile, Panama, Qatar, and Slovakia –which have been less represented previously in the English-language research on FASD prevention. The findings were organized using a four-part prevention model used by the pNAT (below) to describe the wide range of work that comprises FASD prevention.

This year,

  • 32 articles explored the prevalence of, and influences related to, alcohol use during pregnancy;
  • 15 articles described Level 1 prevention efforts;
  • 26 articles described Level 2 prevention efforts;
  • 16 articles described Level 3 prevention efforts;
  • 11 articles described Level 4 prevention efforts;
  • 15 articles described supportive alcohol and child welfare policy; and
  • 14 articles described stigma, ethical issues, and systemic approaches.

Factors Associated with Alcohol Use in Pregnancy

Consistent with previous years, we continue to see a high proportion of articles about the prevalence, factors, and influences associated with alcohol use in pregnancy. This year, the findings about prevalence and influences emphasized that alcohol use varies greatly and is dependent on social determinants of health and structural, information, stress and preconception and prenatal health related factors. This year, we also began to organize the areas of influence using these five key categories – thus expanding how we understand and respond to, the risk factors associated with alcohol use in pregnancy.

Highlights from Level 1 Prevention: Broad awareness building

There were three key themes identified in this level of prevention: 1) how to raise awareness of alcohol use in pregnancy in a digital context; 2) alcohol use guidelines; and 3) alcohol warning labels. One study emphasized how alcohol warning labels remain a key component of a comprehensive alcohol control strategy. As such, it complemented the several studies that explored the evidence on how different types of alcohol warning labels (e.g., cancer warning labels) can also encourage a reduction of alcohol use in pregnancy.

Highlights from Level 2 Prevention: Discussions of alcohol use with all women of childbearing years

Research on Level 2 prevention focused on opportunities to improve screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) – including in different practice settings. Several studies described the efforts from a project funded by the Centers for Disease Control in the USA to promote SBIRT. Such efforts have included a partnership between healthcare providers and women with lived experience of having a child with FASD, which has increased healthcare providers’ understanding of FASD, while also addressing stigma associated with alcohol use during pregnancy.

Highlights from Level 3 and 4 Prevention: Specialized, holistic support for pregnant and postpartum women experiencing alcohol and other health and social issues

There was a larger emphasis on live-in treatment for pregnant and parenting women with substance use concerns. For example, a study examined how age, rurality, race/ethnicity, among other factors impacted treatment outcomes for pregnant and parenting women. The findings suggested that most women achieved the treatment program goals regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, or location, and how treatment duration was positively associated with success. Other studies from these two levels of prevention focused on specific approaches including case management, home visiting, alcohol pharmacotherapies, family centred treatments, and a collaboration between the housing and substance use systems of care.

Supportive Alcohol and Child Welfare Policies

Finally, we saw many studies on how alcohol policy could support alcohol prevention and the need for equitable policies that are supportive of women and children.

The annual literature search is intended to provide an update on the current evidence to those involved in FASD prevention in Canada, to inform practice and policy. The members of the pNAT also discuss the implications of the findings for their work in monthly web meetings.

You can access the annotated bibliography here, and view previous annotated bibliographies here.

The Sober Curiosity movement and FASD prevention – How might they align?

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The sober curiosity movement  encourages mindful consumption of alcohol and exploration of alternatives to alcohol use. It offers a fresh perspective on health promotion and drinking, that frames alcohol moderation or ‘semi-sober’ lifestyles as a choice, to promote one’s health and well-being. Sober curiosity can involve reflection on how societal expectations for drinking influence our alcohol use.

Sober Curiosity and Women’s Health

Sober curiosity  emphasises agency and choice, avoids stigmatizing one’s alcohol use, and promotes understanding of health concerns associated with the physical effects of alcohol. As such, it can be particularly relevant for women because it creates a safe context for learning about the greater physical health risks of drinking for females relative to males, as described in Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health. Sober curiosity has the potential to increase awareness of the risks of alcohol use when pregnant or planning a pregnancy, in a way that is inviting and respectful of self-determination.

Sober curiosity may be particularly helpful for women in the preconception period, when there is an increased focus on well-being. It can also prepare individuals and couples for what it may mean to not drink during pregnancy.

Sober Curiosity as a Social Movement

Sober curiosity, as a movement, is predominately online. This means there is opportunity for those working on FASD prevention to work with online influencers to bring attention to reducing/stopping alcohol use in pregnancy, within the context of this movement.

In many regions, the sober curiosity movement has prompted increased availability of low alcohol and/or alcohol-free beverages (also known as mocktails) in restaurants and bars. There are also an increasing number of ‘dry’ venues and clubs that offer ways for people to connect socially without alcohol. Promotion of such spaces is another opportunity for those working on FASD prevention to align with the movement, online and offline.

Future Directions

This emerging discourse about:

  • becoming more aware (mindful) of drinking habits and patterns,
  • recognizing the health benefits of reducing or abstaining from alcohol use, and
  • exploring ways to develop a healthier relationship with alcohol

is indeed welcome as a society wide approach, that also has the potential to positively influence decisions about drinking in the preconception and perinatal periods.

Moving forward, research is needed on how sober curiosity approaches may appeal, and be helpful, to diverse women/gender diverse individuals in the perinatal period, and how this movement could influence overall cultures of consumption and drinking norms for women/gender diverse individuals who are planning a pregnancy. Further, connecting with those embedded in the sober curious movement can bring greater visibility to and discussions about its role in the preconception and perinatal periods.

The Power of Networking: The Prevention Network Action Team (pNAT) on FASD Prevention from a Women’s Health Determinants Perspective

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For over a decade, researchers, service providers, health system planners, and women with lived experience have participated together in the pNAT, a network designed to advance FASD prevention research, programming and policy across Canada. This blog post celebrates the longstanding network and brings awareness to its work.

The pNAT meets monthly in a virtual meeting. At these meetings, participants:

  • share information about their work on FASD prevention with each other
  • discuss needed advances in policy, practice, and research
  • learn about current awareness raising efforts, and
  • discuss the implications of the findings from a chosen research article.

The pNAT participation is voluntary, people come together as they can, to build upon each other’s experience and expertise, and advance our collective work.

Some key actions by the pNAT:

1. A monthly blog posting

We use this blog to share highlights from our work, so that people from around the world can benefit from our learnings. The blog reaches readers in Canada, the USA, Australia, the UK, and all over the world and has received a total of 457,798 visitors since its inception in 2010.  

2. Annotated bibliography of global research on FASD prevention

Yearly, we compile a bibliography of published research on FASD prevention. It provides an update on the most current academic evidence to those involved in FASD prevention in Canada and beyond. Our 2024 annotated bibliography summarized 104 articles published in 2023 from 20 countries. The aim of compiling this annotated bibliography is to help us all integrate research evidence with our practice wisdom, policy wisdom and the expertise from lived experience as we work on FASD prevention. Keep an eye out for a blog post on our 2025 annotated bibliography, which will be published later this Spring!

3. Research on offering supportive programming

Members of the pNAT work together on research and evaluation teams, studying many topics related to our multilevel model of FASD prevention.  We have published on different aspects of this model, including on: wraparound programming for women who face multiple challenges including alcohol use; community-led and culture-driven FASD prevention programming; how stigma directed to pregnant women can be addressed; and, many other topics.

4. Advocating for supportive alcohol policy

We collaborate with other organizations on strategic committees advocating for alcohol policy that reduces harms, promotes public health, and is foundational to FASD prevention. And we are working with CanFASD Research Network to advocate for a national FASD Strategy in Canada that incorporates FASD prevention as a women’s health and social justice issue.

Members from all provinces and territories have participated in the pNAT Network over the years and we continue to welcome participants from research, practice, policy and lived experience from across the country who are working on any aspect of FASD prevention. The Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health leads the pNAT and can be reached at bccewh@gmail.com if you would like to join!

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International Action on Prevention of FASD – A Seat at the Table

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The 9th International Research Conference on FASD was held in Seattle on March 20-23, 2025.  The conference theme centered on how research can be translated into policy and practice. Researchers  from 16 countries attended, providing a stimulating opportunity to collectively discuss the implications of their work and foster collaborations. It was a very welcome opportunity to gather, share, debate, inspire and learn together.

Sessions focused on pure science, prevention, diagnosis, and intervention related research. On the second morning, a plenary on FASD prevention showcased work from four countries, demonstrating initiatives and research across the 4-part prevention model.

FASD Prevention in Four Countries

Australia – Raising Awareness

Dr. Elizabeth Elliot, Sophie Harrington, Dr. Jacqueline Bowden and Dr. Robyn Williams shared their findings from the Australia public health campaign, “Every Moment Matters”. The initiative had four streams: 1) a general population awareness campaign; 2) a campaign for priority populations; 3) education for health professionals and 4) a grant program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The awareness campaign had  65+ million completed video views, 9.8 million completed digital ad listens, and an estimated reach to  2.8+ million women. The presentation covered findings from a comprehensive evaluation, including a return on investment noting an estimated reduction in births where prenatal alcohol exposure was avoided. They found that overall the educational resources were well received. There was high satisfaction from health professionals, increased awareness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, an increase in the likelihood of partners supporting alcohol free pregnancies, and significant increases in campaign recognition, raising awareness and influencing behaviours.

South Africa – Community-Based Engagement

Representatives from Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR) in South Africa, Dr. Leana Olivier, Dr. Jaco Louw and Mandi Broodryk, presented on FARR’s community-based engagement. The presenters highlighted programs including the Healthy Mother Healthy Baby Programme (for pregnant women), Legacy Dad Course (for fathers), Home Based Early Childhood Development Programme, Learner Support Programme, Youth Support Programme and an Elderly Programme. Their comprehensive, whole-of-society approach to programming is embedded in research efforts to identify prevalence as well as professional capacity development initiatives across all regions in South Africa. Dr. Olivier also received the Starfish award at the conference, for her tremendous work toward making a direct impact on people with living experience of FASD.  

USA – Interdisciplinary Collaboration of Professionals

Katherine Chyka, a health education specialist with Oak Ridge Associated Universities, led a panel of professionals from the USA who participate in the FASD National Partner Network. It is an impressive interdisciplinary collaboration that includes  family physician, pediatric, and obstetric and gynecologic professional organizations, as well as women’s health organizations, obstetric and neonatal nurses, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, and social workers. There are a total of 9 organizations, including FASD United, in the Partner Network, which is funded through the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to lead FASD awareness and prevention efforts. The partnership recognizes the crucial role that primary and allied health professionals play in the FASD field.  The panel showcased a stunning array of resources that have been created by Network members. Some excellent examples were shown including printable handouts for clinicians to share with families, ‘walk and talk’ postcards and scripts, dozens of other educational resources in many formats, and the overall FASD NPN Digital Toolkit.

Canada – Wraparound Services

Dr. Nancy Poole from the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health presented on the Digital Handbook for practitioners supporting pregnant women at highest risk. This Handbook was generated in the final phase of the Co-Creating Evidence Evaluation Project to support the creation, development, ongoing operation, and sustainability of wraparound programs reaching pregnant women and new mothers and their children. The Digital Handbook was designed to share best practice arising from the wraparound model of service delivery. This model holistically addresses individual and community needs where alcohol and a range of other health and social concerns are faced. The Digital Handbook can be used to support learning by program planners, managers and staff, service partners from a variety of health and social sectors, funders, researchers, community members, and families affected by perinatal substance use.

Thank you for the conference organizers, FASD United, who continued to give FASD and FASD prevention a seat at the table, even in these challenging times.

Alcohol Policy and FASD

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Over the past few years, there has been increasing attention to how alcohol policy can be used to improve health, including maternal and fetal health. Alcohol policies are critical because they determine the availability of alcohol and other aspects of the environment in which decisions about drinking are made, in the preconception and perinatal periods.

In Canada, a four-part model of FASD prevention has been developed that includes a continuum of multi-sectoral efforts. In this model, supportive alcohol policy is at the centre of the four mutually reinforcing levels of prevention, inclusive of awareness raising and multi-level interventions reaching women and their support networks at various levels of risk. 

With the increased interest in alcohol policy and its role in FASD and reducing alcohol use in pregnancy, the Canada FASD Research Network hosted a three-part webinar series on alcohol policy that brought together speakers to talk about the state of alcohol policies in Canada, how Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health was developed and opportunities for collaborative alcohol policies. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the highlights of the webinar series and share links to watch the webinars.

An Introduction to the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation and Implications for FASD

In the first webinar, Elizabeth Farkouh from the Canadian Institute for Substance Use and Addiction presented on the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation which examines the state of alcohol policy in Canada. Poignantly, she brought attention to alcohol health harms and the alcohol deficit ($-6.196 billion in 2020/21) before demonstrating how alcohol policies, including pricing and taxation, health and safety messaging, marketing and advertising, etc., are key to preventing and reducing harms, including those related to alcohol use in pregnancy.

Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health: Knowledge Mobilization and Uptake Two-Years Later

In the second webinar, presenters Dr. Adam Sherk and Dr. Nancy Poole, who both were on the Scientific Advisory Committee for Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health, described the development of the guidance and the importance of knowledge mobilization so that people can make informed decisions around their use. Canada’s new Guidance serves as an opportunity for us to link the ways in which we bring awareness to the risks of alcohol use in pregnancy, including through having consistent messaging on alcohol warning labels, in perinatal substance use brief interventions, and when developing community-based approaches. Dr. Nirupa Goel shared some of the ways in which the BC Centre for Substance Use and Addiction have supported this knowledge mobilization, including through their resources for clinicians and patients.

Cross-Sectoral Alcohol Policy and Healthy Beginnings: Examples from Two Provinces

In the final webinar, presenters Melanie Meuhling, Maia Graham-Derham, and Suzanne Hawkins shared how two provinces, Manitoba and Newfoundland, have harnessed policy collaboration to increase governmental and community supports for people with FASD and who may be at risk of alcohol use during pregnancy. Discussing Manitoba’s Renewed FASD Strategy, 2024 – 2029 and Newfoundland’s Provincial Alcohol Action Plan: Reducing Harms and Costs in Newfoundland and Labrador, the presenters emphasized the different foci and ways they have been able to collaborate across systems and sectors.

Each of the webinars demonstrated the importance of policy in our work on FASD and healthy beginnings, and the opportunities to address the normalization of alcohol in our society. 

What communities can do toward FASD prevention

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Communities are key actors in our collective work to prevent FASD. They can be part of raising awareness, creating local alcohol policies, and working with public health on promoting health. All community-led work can benefit from listening to women’s health advocates so that gender equitable approaches are advanced. Here are some ideas for communities to support healthy pregnancies and FASD prevention:

Raise awareness

One role of community leaders is to be part of building awareness of the risks associated with alcohol use. Educational posters, point of sale information and many other ways of raising awareness can be undertaken by municipal, Indigenous and other local community leaders, in collaboration with community-based educators, service providers and activists.

Women need to know:

  • The risks of alcohol use related to their physical health – Female bodies break down and absorb alcohol faster than male bodies. This is due to smaller average body size, smaller organs, less body water, different hormonal effects and lower amounts of gastric enzymes that break down alcohol. As a result, equivalent amounts of alcohol can cause more serious harms to health for females, compared to males.
  • The risks of alcohol use related to social safety – Alcohol can result in the increased perpetration of violence, and increase vulnerability to sexual assault and intimate partner violence.
  • The risks of alcohol use in pregnancy – Alcohol use in pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, placenta previa and other maternal and fetal health conditions. Prenatal alcohol exposure increases the risk of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and lifelong health concerns for their child.

Local alcohol policy

Communities can enact alcohol policies that reduce harms associated with public alcohol use.  Some examples of alcohol policy that support reduction of alcohol-related harms for women:

  • Ensuring that women and children can access parks, beaches, and other public spaces that are alcohol free.
  • Making local policy on how alcohol is sold at community events such as festivals, and how safe transportation is made available.
  • Enacting bylaws requiring point of sale warnings about health impacts and risks of alcohol use in pregnancy.

Some communities have also enacted overall community alcohol strategies designed to create a culture of community health and safety, and meaningful engagement in reducing harms.

Promote health

Learn more

Communities can take an active role in health promotion, working with local public health to increase community health and wellness, and preventing injury, illness and premature death. Community service providers can be supported to ensure that alcohol risks are discussed in the course of their work as physicians, midwives, public health nurses, and as Indigenous wellness, sexual health, anti-violence, pregnancy outreach and substance use workers. It is key that everyone is comfortable discussing alcohol use, engaging in  non-judgemental ways, and ready and willing to share information about reducing alcohol use, local counselling services, and support groups.

Bring people together

Community leaders can bring people together to inform their actions, and to facilitate information sharing and collaboration on reducing the risks of alcohol, including FASD prevention in their local area. Engaging representatives of local women’s organizations such as violence against women shelters and pregnancy outreach programs can be helpful when designing local initiatives, so that they directly address the influences on women’s alcohol use, and prevent stigma directed to women who drink.   

A recent webinar sponsored by Healthy Communities BC provides more information on how local communities are engaging in alcohol policy making.

Perinatal Substance Use – An Opportunity to Learn about Engaging, Collaborative Practice

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Stigma and loss of child custody are longstanding challenges faced by women with alcohol and related health and social concerns. Child welfare and substance use systems have often seen the needs of mothers and children as conflicting, and as a result often have not worked together to support the wellbeing of both parents and children.

Promising approaches by the child welfare and substance use field, and collaborative practice approaches between the two fields, are now being enacted and evaluated. Recently, researchers at the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health developed an online course that describes these emerging practices.

What’s included in the course?

  • In Module 1, an overview of substance use and addiction, and common influences on women’s substance use including determinants of health
  • In Module 2, a description of the range of interventions that are designed to address different types and levels of substance use – including screening and brief intervention, pharmacological interventions, withdrawal management, treatment, community and peer models of care
  • In Module 3, a description of models of support that address child welfare and women’s recovery together – models that support the mother-child dyad, provide wraparound care, support parenting and attachment and are culture and wellness oriented
  • In Module 4, an opportunity to reflect on how to apply collaborative approaches with women who are diverse in age, race, culture, location, substance used, and intersecting issues faced

Who should take the course?

The course is designed for social workers, case workers, and practice leaders who work with women with substance use concerns and their families in acute care and community settings.

Advancing collaboration and multi-level approaches

The course provides the opportunity for all these workers and leaders to engage with how trauma-, culture-, and gender-informed, harm reduction oriented, and strengths-based approaches are critical in supporting women who use substances. It encourages everyone to consider how a range of services that integrate support for mothers and children can be advocated by us all. It also identifies how women may not be aware of the levels of support available to them and may need encouragement to consider the options. Receiving this support from social workers and/or avoiding removal of children may be key motivators for connecting to help.

The course is free and can be found here: https://cewh.ca/webinars-and-courses/courses/perinatal-substance-use-and-collaborative-practice/

Improving Access to Treatment for Pregnant Women and New Mothers

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In Canada, our four part FASD prevention model emphasizes in level 4, that accessible treatment is key to assisting pregnant women and new mothers who have substance use concerns. Yet providing accessible pathways to substance use treatment and support for recovery for women who use substances remains  a critical issue in Canada.

In 2024, the Centre of Excellence for Women’s health convened a three-part meeting of researchers, service providers and organizations interested in women’s substance use treatment and recovery.

Discussing evidence informed practice and research needs

Participants discussed strengths and gaps in the programming being offered in Canada and in the available evidence on sex/gender informed approaches to women’s substance use treatment. The group noted that sex/gender informed treatment and recovery practices are needed that respond to and mitigate the impact of social and structural determinants of health. The current evidence in four key areas was discussed, and priorities for research and practice were identified in each.

In October 2024, a final report was released which included findings from a literature review and the collective discussions. This blog discusses some of the key findings as they relate to FASD prevention, women’s treatment and recovery.

Physical health and recovery

In the meetings, participants described how women in treatment and recovery face complex physical health issues related to the effects of substance use, such as periodontal problems, chronic pain, liver disease, gastrointestinal issues, sexual health concerns, and sexually transmitted diseases. There was much discussion on the need to enhance both research and practice to better address women’s physical health in recovery.

Trauma informed approaches

How treatment and recovery programs are addressing violence, trauma and mental health concerns in order to better serve women who use substances was also central to the discussions. It was identified that women’s treatment and recovery services are increasingly incorporating trauma-informed care, a foundational approach when addressing  trauma and violence experienced by women who access these services.

Family centred care

Many of the barriers to women’s treatment, such as experiences of trauma and violence, unreliable transport, housing insecurity, lack of social support, and mental health concerns, can limit accessibility to safe and trusted substance use and health and social services. Family centered treatment options, such as live-in substance use treatment for women and their children, often act as a facilitator to women’s treatment access and retention. However, live-in, family centered treatment options are very limited. Day treatment programming has addressed some of this gap in needed services.

Relational approaches

Women’s empowerment, agency and connections with each other continue to be validated as important aspects of women’s substance use treatment and recovery. Programs have long recognized the role of social support and the value of relational, strengths-based and empowering approaches in women’s treatment. Connections among women have emerged as an important mechanism of recovery for women, with research demonstrating the importance of group cohesion and building a sense of belonging and community.

Dialogue to action on women’s treatment in Canada

The report arising from the meetings offers recommendations for priority action on research and service development. The group concluded that we must amplify efforts and advance action towards improving systems and services. This means bringing together the efforts of researchers, treatment providers and policy makers in a common vision, that builds upon evidence, coalesces resources, and includes the voices of women with lived and living experiences.

The project received funding support from a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Planning and Dissemination Grant (#516076).