The article describes the challenges for child welfare professionals in meeting goals in work with children prenatally exposed to alcohol and their families, as well as ways to address those challenges. Topics include the use and misuse of information on children's prenatal exposure to alcohol, the use of information on a child's prenatal exposure to alcohol to label children as at high risk for future maltreatment, and the need for training to inform service delivery and reduce bias.

This study was conducted to explore what professionals working in child welfare and caregivers know about prenatal substance exposure, emphasizing prenatal alcohol exposure, and their perceived training needs. This was part of a descriptive mixed methods study conducted in 22 local child welfare agencies across five states. Findings showed that despite widespread awareness of prenatal substance exposure, professionals have misperceptions about prenatal substance exposure effects that likely affect practice and offer important targets for improvements. Professionals and caregivers also raised targeted needs and requests for more training in many areas. Findings from this study provide initial insights into the knowledge, policies, practice, and educational needs of child welfare agencies, professionals who work in child welfare, and caregivers. Professionals and agencies can use these findings to inform approaches, practices and trainings which may help improve developmental outcomes for children and improve family functioning, thereby reducing the risk of child maltreatment and foster care placements. This study adds to the limited research published on professional's knowledge of prenatal substance exposure and to practical child welfare training applications.