Skip to main content

Perinatal Substance Use

Substance use affects many people, including those who are pregnant and parenting. Whatever your role is, you can help support healthy people, families, and babies.

The Provincial Perinatal Substance Use Program (PPSUP), as part of the Mental Health and Substance Use Programs + Initiatives portfolio at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre, provides leadership and centralized coordination to advance transformative practices and policies in perinatal substance use care across the province.  Destigmatizing substance use, decolonizing care and promoting evidence-informed practice are important objectives of the Program. The resources offered here have been created through or made possible by PPSUP.

The PPSUP transition from a project to a program has resulted in connection to over three hundred provincial partners and dozens of community organizations, including Indigenous and Indigenous-led organizations. Funding support for programs and services is to improve the perinatal substance use continuum of care. In this regard, community partner organizations are essential partners as they provide direct care services for pregnant and parenting people using substances. Learn more about our provincial partners below: 


Fraser:

The Provincial Perinatal Substance Use Program is inviting proposals for innovative projects or initiatives that contribute to improving care for pregnant or parenting women who use substances and advance knowledge about effective models of care, service integration and system-wide improvements. 

Learn more

 

We are excited to announce that we will be sending a monthly e-blast to our partners. This year our team is focused on strengthening partnerships, enhancing engagement efforts and fostering collaboration across the province to advance initiatives in perinatal mental health and substance use. We aim to provide valuable insights, resources, guidelines, and updates through this platform.

Subscribe to receive monthly e-blasts

 

BC Women’s Mental Health and Substance Use Programs + Initiatives host an annual conference dedicated to advancing the continuum of care for perinatal mental health and substance use for pregnant and/or parenting individuals. Learn more about the conferences below.


2025 conference

Save the Date for the 2025 Perinatal Mental Health and Substance Use Conference!


Monday, October 6th to Wednesday, October 8th, 2025


We’re excited to announce the dates for the Perinatal Mental Health and Substance Use Conference (PMHSU2025)—formerly known as the Provincial Perinatal Substance Use Conference.

Join us over the course of 3 days as we work to advance the perinatal mental health and substance use continuum of care for pregnant and/or parenting individuals. We encourage you to submit an abstract for presentation at the Conference. Stay tuned for the call for abstracts opening soon.


For inquiries, contact us at PMHSU-2025@venuewest.com.

2024 conference
Provincial Perinatal Substance Use Conference:
Connecting the Dots Through Innovative Care Approaches Across the Perinatal Substance Use Continuum
October 28-30, 2024

The topics and themes of the 2024 Provincial Perinatal Substance Use Conference were captured through graphic recording in the video below.
 

A PDF version of the 2024 PPSUP conference graphic recording can be viewed here.

The complete 2024 PPSUP Conference Proceedings can be viewed here.
The Provincial Blueprint for a Perinatal Substance Use Continuum of Care
The Provincial Blueprint for a Perinatal Substance Use Continuum of Care comprises of thirty eight recommendations describing evidence, leading practice and Indigenous ways of being and knowing to advance the perinatal substance use continuum of services and supports.

The Provincial Blueprint was developed by the Provincial Perinatal Substance Use Project in collaboration with Indigenous Elders, women and non-binary people with lived and living experiences, Indigenous leaders, clinicians, educators, child welfare representatives, housing representatives, health system leaders, and government leaders.

"By listening to the voices of Indigenous Elders, leaders and women, health care and social systems can change for the better. The Provincial Blueprint aligns to this vision of the future and shares how to achieve it."
- Dr. Elder Roberta Price, Coast Salish Snuneymuxw and Cowichan Nations & Elder Glida Morgan, Tla'amin Nation
 

Safe, collaborative, trusting relationships are a essential when it comes to working with women and families, ‎where there is substance use. Some key educational offerings that support building safe relationships include:

  • Motivational Interviewing;
  • trauma and violence informed practice; and
  • Indigenous Cultural Safety.

The following courses are available to help you grow your skills in these areas. Indigenous Cultural Safety is integrated throughout all our content.


SafeCare

SafeCare education includes trauma and violence-informed practice, substance use harm reduction, Indigenous Cultural Safety, and self-care components. The SafeCare curriculum focuses on principles of resilience, healing, and improved care outcomes. The goal of the learning is to create safer, more collaborative, more trusting relationships with patients, families and colleagues.


There are two different versions of SafeCare. These include a BC Children's & Women's version for all employees, leaders, and physicians, as well as a Perinatal Substance Use version for healthcare provider and leaders in the province who work with women who are pregnant or newly parenting and who use substances.


Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative conversation style, that draws on a person's own motivation to change. All Health Authorities (HA) offer yearly seats at MI training. These offerings are coordinated through point persons at each HA.


You may also contact your regional perinatal substance working group to find out about Centre for Collaboration, Motivation and Innovation education opportunities. Finally, see the education resource list for other on-demand resources for MI.


Elders Visioning Perinatal Substance Use Toolkit

The Elders Visioning Perinatal Substance Use Toolkit is a unique resource describing Indigenous Elders' teaching and perspectives on providing culturally safe health care and how to engage Elders in health care services in a good way.

 
Moms and babies both do better when they are together. BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre (BCW) supports mother and baby togetherness as a guiding principle for care, recommended by Health Canada and the World Health Organization (WHO) (2009).

Provincial Rooming In Guideline for Perinatal Women Using Substances


The Provincial Rooming In Guideline for Perinatal Women Using Substances was developed by the Provincial Perinatal Substance Use Program at BCW. The guideline is comprised of best evidence, leading and wise practices to support mother and baby togetherness through Rooming-in in the acute care setting.

Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC)
Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) refers to a clinical tool used in acute care to manage neonatal withdrawal symptoms.  ESC education is available as part of the Perinatal Substance Use course on the UBC CPD site.

Implementing Eat, Sleep, Console Provincial Evaluation Report
The Implementing Eat, Sleep, Console Provincial Evaluation Report summarizes key findings on learning and experiences of ESC implementation at acute care hospital sites and uptake of online training across the province. Read a short summary of the report.
 
Perinatal Substance Use and Collaborative Practice Course (Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health)
The Perinatal Substance Use and Collaborative Practice Course emphasizes evidence-based practices, support strategies, and collaboration between substance use and child welfare fields.

Addiction Care and Treatment Online Course (UBC CPD)
Please see the "Pregnancy and Substance Use" module that is part of the ACTOC Certificate course. You can complete individual modules, or the entire certificate, if you choose.

Perinatal Substance Use (UBC CPD)
The Perinatal Substance Use course includes 4 separate modules related to perinatal care, the Eat, Sleep Console (ESC) clinical tool and non-pharmalogical care, as well as pharmacological care, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, principles of care, and 'going home'.
 
Perinatal Substance Use Housing Planning, Design, and Implementation Report
The Perinatal Substance Use Housing Planning, Design, and Implementation Report was developed by the Provincial Perinatal Substance Use Program. It is a manual for housing operators, policy, funders and community partners working in the housing space with the perinatal substance using population. The report summarizes key findings from a formative evaluation of three housing pilots for the perinatal population. It also provides, in full, recommendations arising from the entire body of housing work undertaken by BCWH MHSU portfolio.

Perinatal Substance Use Housing Evaluation Toolkit
The Perinatal Substance Use Housing Evaluation Toolkit is designed to support providers of perinatal substance use housing to evaluate their programs in alignment with evidence-based and wise practice. A range of evaluation tools is provided in the appendices to the toolkit. These are all specific to supportive housing for perinatal women and their families and can be used as is or adapted to support your evaluation work. Resources that offer further helpful information on evaluation in general and aspects of best, promising and wise practice in perinatal substance use programming may be found in the ‘Works Consulted and Additional Resources’ section at the end of the toolkit.

BC Housing Inventory for Perinatal Women Using Substances with Dependant Children
 A list of housing programs for perinatal women using substances (or in early recovery), as well as programs accepting women with dependent children.

'Home, Recovery and Family Unity' A Position Paper on Housing for Pregnant and Parenting Women in Substance Use Recovery Summary
A summary of the housing position paper developed directly by birthers with lived and living experience describing a housing model that centres individual choice and reflects the dynamic and non-linear nature of parenting people's housing and support needs.
Lifeguard App
Lifeguard App is a free, downloadable application for mobile phones designed to support people using substances to practice safe substance use and links them to emergency responders in the case of an overdose.

Download on the App Store | Download on Google Play

National Overdose Response System (NORS)
National Overdose Response System (NORS) is a peer-led overdose prevention hotline available to Canadians to access overdose support 24/7. Call 1-888-688-NORS (6677).

Brave App
Brave App is a free, downloadable application that allows people using substances to set up a safety plan when they use substances to help if an overdose occurs. The app is available to anyone in North America and is accessible 24/7.

Download on the App Store | Download on Google Play
 


SOURCE: Perinatal Substance Use ( )
Page printed: . Unofficial document if printed. Please refer to SOURCE for latest information.

Copyright © BC Women's Hospital. All Rights Reserved.

    Copyright © 2025 Provincial Health Services Authority.