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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders


In 2018, NASW and The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) Steve Hicks School of Social Work complete a successful four-year partnership representing social work in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy - and will embark on a new four-year project partnership with UT-Austin and CDC starting in 2018.  The first grant award was made to UT Austin in 2014.

To read the latest Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders resources guide produced by NASW, NASW Foundation and UT Austin in the Fall of 2019, please follow this link >>

CDC Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy

Health professionals play a key role in reducing the prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) through the use of evidence-based practices, such as alcohol screening and brief intervention (alcohol SBI), that target high-risk drinking and the prevention of alcohol-exposed pregnancy. As part of CDC’s cross-discipline collaborative, our social work team is working with physicians, nurses, and medical assistants to educate healthcare professionals about the importance of talking to women about risky alcohol use and to facilitate use of alcohol SBI in healthcare practice.

NASW joins the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, and other leading health organizations in CDC’s national campaign to increase FASD awareness and improve primary prevention in women’s healthcare practice.

NASW serves as a partner to target social work practice. The purpose of this initiative is to strengthen research-to-practice linkages between CDC’s Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders programs and selected practice disciplines that are well positioned to advance FASD identification, treatment, and prevention practice. 

NASW’s overall role on the project has been to:

  • work closely with the UT Austin and CDC’s cross-discipline Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy on planning, dissemination and training on FASD awareness and prevention practice among social work practitioners at both national and state levels; 
  • facilitate promotion and delivery of FASD training opportunities through NASW’s continuing education and communication channels; and, 
  • assist with dissemination of FASD information through NASW’s online and print communications and programming. 

Some of the publications produced by NASW and other partners include:

CDC Reaching Healthcare Professionals in the Prevention of FASD

NASW and UT Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work will continue as social work partners in CDC’s cross-discipline Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy with a new four-year CDC grant (2018-2022) focused on primary prevention in health practice.  High-risk and binge drinking rates among U.S. women have increased significantly over recent years, with 1-in-10 women now drinking at excessive levels linked to alcohol-related health risks, injuries, and chronic conditions.  At the same time, up to 5% of U.S. school children are living with the effects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, a group of permanent — yet preventable—conditions caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. The patterns of alcohol risk behaviors among women in concert with the alarming prevalence of FASD highlight the critical public health need for a cross-discipline prevention approach.

Under this new CDC grant, our social work team will work with the Collaborative to identify and address gaps in health professionals’ information and continuing education needs regarding risky alcohol use, alcohol use during pregnancy, and alcohol screening, and brief intervention for primary prevention.   

NASW will facilitate CDC’s efforts to reach a national audience of social work practitioners serving women in primary care settings. In the project’s first phase, NASW will conduct a membership survey assessing attitudes, practices, and continuing education needs around the topic of risky alcohol use and alcohol use during pregnancy. Using survey data to inform design of subsequent activities, NASW will work with UT Austin to develop and distribute materials, resources, and messaging incorporating CDC’s science-based content via NASW’s online and print communications and programming. NASW will also advise on development of a social work Champions network to increase FASD awareness.

NASW is pleased to continue working in partnership with the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and others in CDC’s Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy to address a significant public health issue that affects women and families across practices and systems of care. 

FASD-2018-NASW-Conference

Anita Prewett, MS, CRA and Leslie Sirrianni, LCSW, University of Texas at Austin (UTA), Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the 2018 NASW National Conference. NASW and UTA are partners in CDC's Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy (summary above).


Samples Of FASD Publications Produced In UTA And NASW Partnership

Publications produced in the partnership between UTA Steve Hicks School of Social Work and NASW. NASW and UTA are working together on the Center For Disease Control's Collaborative For Alcohol-Free Pregnancy.




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