➡ From Child Welfare Information Gateway
US: For Opioids’ Youngest Victims, Is Help Too Little, Too Late?
Governing – July 01, 2017
Drug abuse is overwhelming the child welfare system at unprecedented rates. Solutions are slowly emerging. Opioids pose special challenges for child welfare agencies. Compared with addiction to cocaine or methamphetamine, the recovery period is longer and the chance of relapse is higher. Sobriety is often a requisite for placing children back with parents. But federal law mandates a short window –less than two years — for parents to undergo treatment and demonstrate that they’re sober enough to regain custody of their child.
Information Gateway resource: Topical Training for Caseworkers: Substance Abuse: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/management/training/curricula/caseworkers/topical/substance-abuse/
http://www.governing.com/topics/health-human-services/gov-opioid-epidemic-child-welfare.html