Opioid epidemic strains child foster care system

As opioid abuse surges, the US state of West Virginia has experienced an increase of foster-care placements of children due to drug-related issues at home, and the state is having difficulty in hiring enough child welfare caseworkers to meet the increased demand.

In a testimony to the Joint Committee on Children and Families on the 17th October, Linda Watts, the acting Commissioner of the Bureau for Children and Families (BCF), said that more than 6,100 children were in foster care at the beginning of the month and that the number had risen since her last testimony to the legislative body in August, primarily due to opioids.

Watts said that about 82% of children are placed in foster care because of parents who have issues related to drug abuse, including overdosing on prescription drugs. According to the BCF’s website, the number of children in foster care increased from 4,125 in September 2012 to 6,161 in September 2017.

Watts noted that the number of children placed in foster care with relatives has been growing. The latest report on foster care placements stated that more than 2,800 of the children in foster care were placed with a child’s relative.

As foster care placements continue to grow, the state is struggling to hire enough child welfare caseworkers. Watts said that high turnover in those positions has been a problem, with many caseworkers leaving after 18 to 24 months. She attributed part of the problem to the salaries in West Virginia not being competitive with neighbouring states, as well as the demanding nature of the job.