On April 25, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing entitled, “The Social and Economic Effects of the Methamphetamine Epidemic on America’s Child Welfare System.”
Calling methamphetamine use “the fastest-growing drug threat in America,” Chair Charles Grassley (R-IA) said that “numerous reports indicate that methamphetamine abuse is on the increase, particularly among women of childbearing age. This is having an impact on child welfare systems in many states. According to a survey administered by the National Association of Counties…meth is a major cause of child abuse and neglect. Forty percent of all child welfare officials in the survey report increased out-of-home placements because of meth in the last year.”
Ranking Member Max Baucus (D-MT) added, “We have good reason to believe that meth exacerbates child abuse and neglect. Look at the homes where the children of meth abusers live: Their evening meals share the stove with the cooking of a harmful drug. Their toys share space with dangerous chemicals. Their forks and spoons share the sink with pots used to cook meth.”
The committee heard testimony from Allison Bruno, a 22-year-old mother of two children, who was introduced to methamphetamine by her own mother when she was 13. Although she stopped using drugs and alcohol during her pregnancy, she started up again after her first daughter was born: “It never crossed my mind that I was not being a good mother, because I had only known mothers who were addicts. But, as an addicted mother, I really lacked the proper skills that most people take for granted. I hadn’t learned to cook, clean, work, or manage money.” Ms. Bruno entered a treatment facility for single adults, but it was only after she received family-based treatment that she was able to quit using drugs. She said that today, “I regularly attend twelve-step meetings and the support group Moms Off Meth. Because of family treatment, I broke the cycle of addiction in my family. My children will have a different childhood than mine, and I will continue to be a loving, responsible, and healthy mother to them.”
During the question and answer session, Sen. Grassley asked Ms. Bruno about the number of women who received treatment at the facility she and her daughters attended. She explained that the facility could only accommodate 20 to 30 women, noting that there is a long waiting list because it is the only residential facility in Iowa that provides family-based treatment. She added that there are only three facilities in the entire state that provide outpatient services for families recovering from substance abuse.
Nancy Young, director of Children and Family Futures, Inc., said that women represent 47 percent of the total number of individuals admitted for methamphetamine treatment, adding, “This percentage of female admissions is higher than the percentage of female admissions associated with any other drug except tranquilizers. The implication is that more children are likely to be affected by a parent’s use of methamphetamine than if users were predominately male, since caretakers are often predominately female.” She also noted that women who use methamphetamine are more likely to have experienced physical or sexual abuse as children, which is consistent with other drug users: “This information has a crucial impact on child welfare. First, the majority of women that are mothers of children in care may have significant co-occurring mental disorders associated with their childhood abuse, including a high degree of post-traumatic stress associated with this childhood trauma. Second, these data point to the critical need for substance abuse prevention programming targeted to the children who are victims of child abuse and are in the child welfare system today.” Dr. Young suggested that child welfare workers should be trained in treatment engagement strategies, welfare and drug treatment information systems should be better integrated, and outreach should be expanded to rural areas where the methamphetamine epidemic is more prominent.
Describing the impact of methamphetamine use on the child welfare system, Regional Administrator for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Kevin Frank stated, “Social workers entering the child welfare field today can fully expect to be exposed to toxic chemicals, are expected to know how to physically handle a contaminated child, are expected to know how not to disturb a crime scene, must have a heightened awareness of their own physical safety, and through it all are expected to withstand rigorous cross examination from the defense council in court proceedings.” He added, “Caseworkers are accustomed to fast-paced, near chaotic work environments where the rewards are few and the personal demands great, but meth poses unprecedented challenges to child welfare agencies given the risk factors involved. Over 65% of all foster care placements in Montana are directly attributable to drug use and of those, meth is a primary factor 57% of the time. Sadly, 80% of all foster care cases involving meth in Billings will result in termination of parental rights.”
