Resource Links

ACEs Connection

pacesconnection.com

Supports the ever-expanding ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) movement by educating people about ACEs science. They act as the information resource for the ACEs movement by telling its stories and providing resources. ACEs Connection helps communities launch and grow ACEs initiatives, both online and in person, and provide tools to help them measure their progress.

Al-Anon: Alateen

al-anon.org/for-members/group-resources/alateen

In Al-Anon/Alateen, members do not give direction or advice to other members. Instead, they share their personal experiences and stories, and invite other members to “take what they like and leave the rest”—that is, to determine for themselves what lesson they could apply to their own lives.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

aa.org

Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. There are no age or education requirements. Membership is open to anyone who has a desire to stop drinking.

Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute (CGTI)

cg-ti.org

CGTI empowers youth with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug-free life. The institute makes this a reality by helping teens develop and strengthen leaderships skills, educate them to lead peers to reduce the frequency of substance use and other addictive behaviors, teach to advocate for positive change within their schools, communities, and local government, and encourage healthy decision-making skills.

Center on Young Adult Health and Development (CYAHD)

sph.umd.edu/department/bch/center-young-adult-health-and-development

CYAHD was established at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health in 2009. This research center is one of the first such centers in the United States specifically dedicated to understanding the health and development of young adults.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

cdc.gov

The CDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish the mission, CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these do arise.

Child Trauma Academy

childtrauma.org

The mission of the ChildTrauma Academy is to help improve the lives of traumatized and maltreated children — by improving the systems that educate, nurture, protect and enrich these children.  We focus our efforts on education, service delivery, program consultation, research and innovations in clinical assessment/treatment.

Child Trends

childtrends.org

Child Trends is a research organization focused exclusively on improving the lives of children and youth, especially those who are most vulnerable.

Children’s Research Triangle

childrensresearchtriangle.org

Our vision is for all children, no matter what challenges or disabilities they may face, to have a safe and nurturing childhood and to receive the support necessary to lead happy, fulfilled lives.

Child Welfare Information Gateway 

childwelfare.gov

Child Welfare Information Gateway promotes the safety, permanency, and well-being of children, youth, and families by connecting child welfare, adoption, and related professionals as well as the public to information, resources, and tools covering topics on child welfare, child abuse and neglect, out-of-home care, adoption, and more.

College Parents Matter

collegeparentsmatter.org

College Parents Matter is a resource from the Maryland Collaborative to Reduce College Drinking and Related Problems. This website is designed to equip parents, with some tools and resources that will help engage in effective communication with a college-attending child. It provides some statistics about alcohol and related problems. However, the main focus is how to talk with your student. The website is organized by common situations that increase the risk for high-risk drinking, like the 21st birthday, spring break, and housing and roommates. Each page has a section on why the topic is important and a little bit of the research related to that topic, followed by two sections called “Say this” and “Not this.” It provides tools and scripts to improve communication with the college student. Getting them to college is just the beginning… With good communication parents will guide students through the new experience.

Family Run Executive Director Leadership Association (FREDLA)

fredla.org

FREDLA’s mission is to empower ad strengthen executive leaders of family-run organizations focused on the well-being of children and youth with mental health, emotional or behavioral challenges and their families.

Family Resource Center

familyresourcectr.org

Family Resource Center is a place for families to gain information about addiction; prevention of drug or alcohol use; and information about addiction treatment and recovery. It offers family focused resources and information. The site is made available from the Treatment Research Institute (TRI), a nonprofit translational research and policy organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gam-Anon

gam-anon.org

Gam-Anon is a 12-step self-help fellowship of men and women who have been affected by the gambling problem of another. The purpose of Gam-Anon is to welcome and give assistance and comfort to those affected by someone else’s gambling problem. 

Gamblers Anonymous

gamblersanonymous.org

Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from a gambling problem. The primary purpose is to stop gambling and to help other compulsive gamblers do the same.

Generations United

Generations United (gu.org)

The mission of Generations United is to improve the lives of children, youth, and older people through intergenerational collaboration, public policies, and programs for the enduring benefit of all.

Grandfamilies

https://www.grandfamilies.org/

Serves as a national legal resource in support of grandfamilies within and outside the child welfare system to educate individuals about state laws, legislation and policy in support of grandfamilies and assist interested policymakers, advocates, caregivers, and attorneys in exploring policy options to support relatives and the children in their care.

Harvard Center on the Developing Child

developingchild.harvard.edu

The mission of the Harvard Center on the Developing Child is to drive science-based innovation that achieves breakthrough outcomes for children facing adversity.

HealthFinder.gov

healthfinder.gov

HealthFinder.gov is a government website that provides resources on a wide range of health topics. The website is designed to convey the most reliable health information and tools available on the internet to help people stay healthy.

Hour House

hourhouserecovery.org

Hour House Council is a community based, not-for-profit corporation offering services to address chemical abuse, dependency and other therapeutic needs. The Council’s mission is to provide a comprehensive array of services for behavioral health promotion and substance abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment through an ongoing process of needs assessment, remediation implementation and systematic evaluation of accomplishments.

Illinois Association for Behavioral Health

Illinois Association for Behavioral Health - Springfield, Illinois | IABH (ilabh.org)

The mission of the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health (IABH) is to advocate for sound public policies in the behavioral health field on behalf of clinicians, consumers, youth, family members, and individuals in recovery who are in need of services.  

Illinois Certification Board: Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association (IAODAPCA)

iaodapca.org

IAODAPCA serves to protect the public by providing competency-based credentialing of Human Service professionals.

Illinois Collaboration on Youth (ICOY)

icoyouth.org

ICOY is a collective voice for young people and community-based providers. By building the capacity of agencies that serve youth, they keep young people safe and healthy. ICOY works to strengthen the youth service system and the provider community that serves youth by promoting services that improve outcomes for youth, and reduce their involvement in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Illinois Council on Problem Gambling

ICPG - Illinois Council on Problem Gambling (illinoisproblemgambling.org)

The IL Council on Problem Gambling addresses issues about gambling disorder, provides information and resources related to treatment for those with a gambling disorder and their families, promote research, and develop and implement gambling disordered education and prevention programs in the State of Illinois.

Illinois Department of Human Resources (IDHR): Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR)

dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=57363

The Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery and the Division of Mental Health are part of the Illinois Department of Human Services. The mission of the Department of Human Services is to assist customers to achieve maximum self-sufficiency, independence and health through the provision of seamless, integrated services for individuals, families and communities.

It Only Takes One (IOTO)

itonlytakesone.org

It Only Takes One campaign serves as an educational base for those interested in learning about suicide prevention and increasing public awareness around the need for suicide prevention efforts and activities in Illinois.

Inherent Strengths in Kinship Families

Joseph Crumbley (drcrumbley.com)

This is a training series developed by Dr. Joseph Crumbley for kinship caregivers and professionals. The series takes a strength-based perspective in outlining different topics that are unique to kinship families and providing strategies for caregivers. 

MentalHealth.gov

mentalhealth.gov

MentalHealth.gov provides one-stop access to U.S. government mental health and mental health problems information.

Narcotics Anonymous (NA)

na.org

The primary purpose of an NA group is to carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers. The group provides each member with the opportunity to share and to hear the experience of other addicts who are learning to live a better way of life without the use of drugs. The group is the primary vehicle by which the message is carried. It provides a setting in which a newcomer can identify with recovering addicts and find an atmosphere of recovery.

National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative 

Filling in the Identity Blanks: Identity Development Complexity in Adoption - NTI (adoptionsupport.org)

NTI is state of art, web-based training to enhance the capacity of child welfare and mental health professionals to effectively address the complex mental health needs of children in foster care, moving to permanency through adoption or guardianship or living with their adoptive or guardianship families. 

National Alliance For Drug Endangered Children 

National Alliance For Drug Endangered Children – Help. Hope. Support. (nationaldec.org)

The National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (National DEC) exists to help make a difference in the lives of children who are being impacted by their caregiver's substance misuse or addiction by bringing professionals and communities together to address the issue in unprecedented ways.

National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA)

nacoa.org

The NACoA mission is to eliminate the adverse impact of alcohol and drug use on children and families. They envision a world in which no child who struggles because of family addiction will be left unsupported.

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare

ncsacw.samhsa.gov

The mission is to improve family recovery, safety and stability by advancing practices and collaboration among agencies, organizations and courts working with families affected by substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders and child abuse or neglect.

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD)

ncadd.org

NCADD and its Affiliate Network was founded in 1944 to save lives and help families recover from alcoholism, drug addiction and the devastating consequences that alcohol and other drugs have on individuals, families and communities.

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD): For Youth

ncwd-youth.info

NCWD/Youth works to ensure that transition age youth are provided full access to high quality services in integrated settings to gain education, employment and independent living.

National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health

ffcmh.org

The National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health is a national family-run organization linking more than 120 chapters and state organizations focused on the issues of children and youth with emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs and their families. It was conceived in Arlington, Virginia in February 1989 by a group of 18 people determined to make a difference in the way the system works.

National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

drugabuse.gov

National Institute on Drug Abuse’s mission is to lead the nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction. This charge has two critical components. The first is the strategic support and conduct of research across a broad range of disciplines. The second is ensuring the rapid and effective dissemination and use of the results of that research to significantly improve prevention and treatment and to inform policy as it relates to drug abuse and addiction.

National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Easy to Read Drug Facts

easyread.drugabuse.gov

This easy-to-read website talks about drug abuse, addiction, and treatment. It has pictures and videos to help readers understand the text. The website also can read each page out loud. The pages are easy to print out to share with people who do not have computers.

National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens (NIDA for Teens)

teens.drugabuse.gov

NIDA for Teens is for middle and high school students and their teachers. It provides accurate and timely information including many highly engaging multimedia activities that cover the basics of drug use as well as more sophisticated neuroscience topics. These sections are designed for students to explore independently.

National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

niaaa.nih.gov

NIAAA provides leadership in the national effort to reduce alcohol-related problems guided by the mission to lead the nation’s research efforts on alcohol use and abuse. NIAAA supports research conducted within the Institute, as well as in institutions around the world.

National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse

https://www.fatherhood.gov

The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse is an Office of Family Assistance (OFA) funded national resource for fathers, practitioners, programs/Federal grantees, states, and the public at-large who are serving or interested in supporting strong fathers and families. The mission is to provide, facilitate, and disseminate current research and proven and innovative strategies that will encourage and strengthen fathers and families and providers of services. 

Office of Adolescent Health (OAH)

hhs.gov/ash/oah

OAH was established in 2010 to coordinate adolescent health promotion and disease prevention for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of adolescents to enable them to become healthy, productive adults.

Operation Snowball

operationsnowballinc.org

Operation Snowball is an alcohol and other drug use prevention program based in Springfield, Illinois focusing on leadership development to empower youth to lead drug-free lives. Operation Snowball is founded on the belief that youth and adults can make responsible decisions when provided with factual information and an opportunity to develop an understanding of one’s self and motivations.

Partnership to End Addiction

Partnership to End Addiction | Where Families Find Answers - Partnership to End Addiction

Partnership to End Addiction, (formerly Partnership for Drug-Free Kids) is a nonprofit organization of a diverse community of researchers, advocates, clinicians, communicators and more. they support families struggling with their son or daughter’s substance use with information, support and guidance to get the help their loved one needs and deserves.

Prevent Child Abuse Illinois

preventchildabuseillinois.org

The mission of Prevent Child Abuse Illinois is to prevent child abuse by providing statewide leadership through education, support for community initiatives, and advocacy.

Prevention First

prevention.org

Prevention First is a statewide resource center whose mission is to build community capacity to prevent substance abuse by providing training and technical assistance and raising public awareness.

Song for Charlie

The New Drug Talk | Song for Charlie

The mission is to support parents and caregivers as they talk with their children and young people about fentanyl, the dangers of counterfeit pills and the new chemical drug landscape.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

samhsa.gov

SAMHSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.

Stop Underage Drinking

stopalcoholabuse.gov

A web-portal for the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) and the gateway to comprehensive research and resources on prevention.

Sesame Street in Communities

sesamestreetincommunities.org

The Sesame Street in Communities website provides resources and tools for community providers in making a difference by helping kids and families grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. This is done by helping organizations unite their communities, support foster families’ and build children’s resilience. Sesame Street in Communities provides tools to address life issues such as addiction, grief and incarceration of a family member in age-appropriate ways.

StopBullying.gov

stopbullying.gov

StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on what bullying is, what cyber-bullying is, who is at risk, and how you can prevent and respond to bullying.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

GetSmartAboutDrugs.com 

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is the only federal agency with a single mission dedicated to drug law enforcement. With unique operational and intelligence capabilities, DEA staff identify, investigate, disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations, remove drugs and violent criminals from communities, and fight the diversion of illegal drugs. Get Smart About Drugs is a DEA website resource for parents, educators and caregivers.

We Know the Feeling

weknowthefeeling.org

We Know the Feeling is a program of the Department of Human Services Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery designed to help people learn how to gamble more responsibly. It is built on a model of empathy and self-awareness, urging gamblers to recognize when they are getting out of control and reach out to us for help when they sense that feeling.

Young People in Recovery

youngpeopleinrecovery.org

YPR changes the world so all young people in or seeking recovery are given the opportunity to become empowered. Chapters support young people by empowering them to obtain stable employment, secure suitable housing, and explore continuing education. Chapters also advocate on the local and state levels for better accessibility of these services and other effective recovery resources.

Youth.gov

youth.gov

Youth.gov is the U.S. government website that helps create, maintain, and strengthen effective youth programs. It is composed of representatives from 18 federal agencies that support programs and services focusing on youth. Included are youth facts, funding information, and tools to help assess community assets, generate maps of local and federal resources, search for evidence-based youth programs, and keep up to date on the latest, youth-related news.

Youth.gov: Youth Engaged 4 Change (YE4C)

engage.youth.gov

YE4C was created by the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP) in partnership with youth and young adults. The site was created to encourage youth and young adults to shape programs, policies, and services that affect them, promote meaningful partnerships between youth and adults, share federal resources with youth and young adults, connect youth and young adults to opportunities funded by the federal government.