Identifying and responding to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in child and family health: Lessons from an exploratory mixed methods study

Introduction

Developmental outcomes for children and young people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are optimised if their needs are identified early. Yet, health workers miss vital opportunities to identify and respond to FASD due to a lack of support, knowledge and skills.

Methods

Through surveys and interviews, our study investigated what child and family health workers in an Australian metropolitan local health district understand, already do and want to learn about FASD.

Results

The study provided evidence of low FASD knowledge and confidence and a lack of referral options with some workers ‘patching together’ care planning in a ‘referral black hole’. Qualitative data provided insight into how skilled clinicians engage families in FASD assessment and negotiate gaps in clinical knowledge.

Discussion and Conclusions

Health workers in this study requested high-quality training and the development of FASD practice guidelines to improve role clarity and clinical impact when working with FASD populations.