NCJ Number
174421
Journal
Child Welfare Volume: 77 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 1998 Pages: 407-426
Date Published
1998
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The program described in this article was designed to facilitate addiction treatment for drug-abusing mothers and other primary caregivers reported for child maltreatment.
Abstract
Relationships among involvement in the program, the status of addiction treatment, and the variety of outcomes for caregivers and their children were tested for 138 caregivers referred to the program by a child protection agency or by a hospital-sponsored drug treatment center. The average length of child welfare system involvement for participating families was 18 months, and many of the caregivers reported experiencing past and present physical, sexual, and emotional trauma in their lives. Data were collected at program entry and at 3, 6, and 12 months after program entry, based on clinician observations, client self-reports, case record reviews, and external reports such as drug treatment and day care programs. Findings showed 41 percent of participants who entered the treatment phase of the program were able to complete addiction treatment and stay sober the entire 12-month period. The average length of program participation was 8 months. Those who used the program's child day care component were three times more likely to complete addiction treatment. Drug-abusing caregivers experienced significant stressors in their lives that made consistent program participation difficult and that required flexibility in service provision and treatment length. Problems most frequently the subject of supportive counseling concerned parenting skills and child management, interpersonal relationships, aspects of physical and mental health, housing, and education and job training. Implications for confronting the problem of drug- abusing caregivers in the child welfare system are considered. 52 references