Bringing FASD-Informed Care to Child Welfare: An Efficient Community Model for FASD Assessment and Consultation

Child welfare professionals support the complex population of children and youth with prenatal alcohol exposure or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), and their families. Yet societal resources are not yet adequate or organized to best help families navigate this set of neurodevelopmental disabilities. Professionals in child welfare need scientifically validated information on FASD-informed care to make appropriate assessment and treatment referrals. This article presents an efficient, organized community-based resource for therapeutic assessment and short-term consultation: the Specialized Neurodevelopmental Assessment and Consultation Service (SNACS) clinic. The authors describe the feasibility, flexibility, and applicability of this efficient, flexible model of FASD-informed care. Child welfare managers could be pivotal in advocating for utilizing SNACS clinics in their communities to support youth and families they serve.