Rapid Rise In Children Entering Foster Care Due To Parents’ Drug Use

Several children are entering foster care due to the increasing drug usage of parents and caretakers, according to a study. The study stated that the rise in foster care entries may have a link to the opioid crisis in the United States.

The research that was published in a medical journal called JAMA Pediatrics on Monday focused on the number of foster care entries and its link to parents’ drug addiction. The study stated that there has been more than 145 percent increase in the foster care entries between the years 2000 and 2017.

When the researchers looked at the nationwide foster care entries in the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, they found that the foster care entries of the study’s last five years were related to parental drug use.

In other words, there was a dramatic surge in the foster care entries between 2012 and 2017. It is a period that witnessed a surge in opioid use and overdose.

“There is so little [research] about how the epidemic has spilled over and affected children. This study attempts to quantify ... increases in foster care and parental drug use,” lead researcher Angélica Meinhofer, who is an instructor of health care policy and research at Weill Cornell Medical College, said.

For the study, the researchers analyzed the data of nearly five million foster care entries. They also looked at the various reasons for it, including geographical area, demographics and other reasons, like the drug use of parents and caretakers.

At the end of the day, the scientists found that over a million foster care entries were due to parental drug use. In short, 23 percent of all the recorded entries within the past 17 years were due to parental drug use.

The researchers also found that there was a dramatic and steady increase in the foster care entries due to parental drug use over the years. The study stated that home removals linked to parental drug use rose from nearly 15 percent in 2000 to 36 percent in 2017.

The researchers even found that home removal due to parental drug use were more in children below five years old and those who lived in the south

However, the study has its own limitations mainly because it did not specify the type of drugs used by the parents. So, the results of the study cannot be linked to a particular drug, like opioid.

It is also worth noting that the results are completely based on the notes made by social workers and system-based entries that highlighted the information that were gathered by the social workers, the lead researcher said.

The researcher also said the study did not look into the latest data of Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. So, a follow-up study could be needed to check the latest trend.