NCJ Number
218392
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 125-136
Date Published
May 2007
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the demographic characteristics and placement experiences of children removed from their home because of parental alcohol and other drug (AOD) use compared to other children in foster care.
Abstract
The findings show that children placed in foster care because of parental AOD use differed from the broader child welfare population regarding age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Compared to a demographically matched group, children removed because of parental AOD use were less likely to have an identified disability or mental health diagnosis, and they were less likely to experience co-occurring removal reasons of neglect, abuse, and child behavioral problems. In addition, children removed for parental AOD use experienced significantly longer lengths of stay in foster care, regardless of initial placement setting. Being removed from the home for parental AOD use was not related to the timing of reunification with a parent after controlling for the inclusion of sibling relationships and other relevant variables. Removal from the home because of parental AOD use was significantly related to faster time to adoption. Study data were obtained from the Rhode Island Children's Information System. The data covered all children who entered foster care between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2002. The initial sample consisted of 5,909 children entering foster care during the observation period. Of these, 1,355 children (approximately 23 percent of the total sample) were removed from the home solely because of parental AOD use. A total of 4,554 children were removed from the home for reasons other than parental AOD use. The remaining children in the sample were removed from the home for multiple reasons, including parental AOD use. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 46 references