Maternal substance use problems, child protection system contacts and developmental outcomes

About this webinar: In this webinar, Dr Madeleine Powell presents the findings from her PhD research, which utilised the NSW Child E Cohort data asset to determine the prevalence of maternal substance use problems during pregnancy, and the risk of child protection contact and developmental support needs by age five in whole populations of children in NSW. Her work highlighted the scale of need for substance use support among families in NSW, the overlapping health and social disadvantages they face, and the poor outcomes for children, underscoring the importance of non-stigmatizing, health system-led prevention from the earliest opportunity. Madeleine will discuss how these findings are currently informing health service planning that meets population need, in partnership with the UNSW School of Population Health. About the speaker: Dr Madeleine Powell is an early-career epidemiologist at the UNSW School of Population Health, with more than a decade of combined clinical and research experience in health. Her doctoral research applied epidemiological methods to a whole-population cohort of children in NSW to inform health system responses for children with prenatal substance exposure and contact with the child protection system. Prior to commencing her PhD, Madeleine worked across diverse multidisciplinary projects spanning clinical and public health research, including the co-design of community-led initiatives. Her research is grounded in her clinical background as a registered nurse working in the Australian health system, including in intensive care, where she led a nurse-led clinical research program for three years.