CAPTA mandates that states receiving federal funding must have procedures to address child abuse and neglect, including suspected substance abuse. In Michigan, child custody laws do not specifically address drug or alcohol addiction, but do pinpoint the “moral fitness,” as well as the physical and mental health of the parents, as important factors for judges to consider. Our study found much higher rates of alcohol causing both physical harm and supervisory neglect than previous studies assessing alcohol’s harm to children. One study only assessed harm by others (not the parent), eliminating the most likely source of harm due to alcohol use (Laslett et al., 2011). The U.S.-based study included caregivers with children of all ages, including teenagers (Kaplan et al., 2017).
Arizona laws related to substance abuse and child custody
It is important to communicate openly https://allamericanroofcoatingllc.com/how-to-deal-with-alcohol-cravings-16-effective-2/ with the CPS caseworker to understand their specific concerns. While Kentucky’s child custody codes do not specifically address substance abuse, they do discuss the mental and physical well-being of parents – which would encompass substance abuse issues like alcohol addiction. If you need advice about your legal options or strategies regarding your case, your child custody attorney can help.
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In some states, exposing children to illegal substances or the sale and distribution of drugs is a felony, and mandated reporters play a crucial role in protecting children from these harmful situations. Gender differences were also poorly operationalized, with many studies failing to separately capture father and mother differences between boys and girls. Just a third of the included studies considered mothers and fathers separately, only three studies differentiated between male and female children, and only a quarter considered children under 12 years of age. No study supplemented self-report data with objective outcomes, such as data from school or medical records. The generalizability of the results may also be limited due to a preponderance of studies emerging from North America. These biases and omissions in the research literature offer important opportunities to improve our how alcoholic parents affect their children understanding of the effects of parental substance abuse on child well-being.
Psychiatry Advisor, a trusted source of medical news and feature content for healthcare providers, offers clinicians insight into the latest research to inform clinical practice and improve patient outcomes. After accounting for variables related to family accommodation, income, and composition, the associations for protection application and protection order were no longer statistically significant. Among the 95,592 families investigated, significant amounts of data were missing (38.3% missing data concerning family alcoholism accommodations; 51.1% family income; 18.2% missing data concerning family type).
Millions of U.S. kids live with parents with substance use disorders
Creating a safety plan is an important aspect of the CPS investigation process. A safety plan outlines the steps you will take to ensure your child’s safety and well-being. It may include agreements about substance abuse treatment, parenting practices, and any necessary supervision or support services. A safety plan can help address CPS concerns and potentially prevent the removal of your child from the home.
Substance Use Disorders as a Risk Factor of Maltreatment
- This can have negative impacts on the child’s physical and emotional well-being, academics, and behavior.
- Furthermore, investigators are permitted to interview a child at their school or daycare without first obtaining parental consent.
- One common scenario where CPS might be necessary is when a parent is struggling with addiction, whether it be drugs or alcohol.
- Louisiana codes regarding child custody do specifically outline substance abuse as a key factor to consider, when determining the child’s best interests.
- For example, one Arizona mother who had lost custody of her two children got custody back after she attended a rehabilitation program.
- ” This question requires the parent to assess what preoccupation means for him or her.
Child custody laws in New Mexico do not explicitly name substance abuse as a factor determine the child’s best interests, but do account for the parents’ ability to provide “adequate care” for the child – which substance abuse may impede. In Georgia, a judge can order alcohol testing for parents in child custody disputes if they believe either or both parents are abusing alcohol or drugs. The judge may also decide to order testing if one parent suspects the other of abuse or dependency. Beyond the immediate harm to children, parental substance abuse poses challenges to overall family cohesion, often triggering involvement with child welfare systems.
The privacy of CPS drug test results is a critical consideration, balancing child safety with individual rights. These results are typically treated as confidential due to their role in sensitive child welfare investigations. Federal and state laws govern the handling of such information, ensuring it is not disclosed inappropriately. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) outlines privacy standards for health information, including drug test results. Although CPS agencies are often exempt from some HIPAA requirements due to their governmental role, they are expected to uphold privacy standards. The case will then transition to the second stage of the child welfare system – Initial Assessment.
Child Abuse as a Risk Factor for Later Alcohol Abuse
Similarly, any history of domestic violence, arrests for being drunk in public, or other legal problems where alcohol was a contributing factor will be reviewed. Having not been allowed to see her kids for years she now has the ability to spend time with her children. Recovery has given her the self respect that she was missing all the years of addiction. The specifics of these laws vary but generally outline who must report, what constitutes reasonable suspicion, and the timeframe for doing so.
Children in early developmental stages are especially susceptible to irregular sleep patterns, inconsistent nutrition, and neglect, which can compound and lead to poorer outcomes in later life. References marked with an asterisk indicate studies included in the meta-analysis. First, a funnel plot was created to visually search for evidence of bias, which would be apparent in an asymmetrical plot. Next, asymmetry was assessed using Egger’s weighted regression test (Egger, Smith, Schneider, & Minder, 1997; Torgerson, 2006). Third, a sensitivity analysis was performed, which applies different a priori weight functions to correct the population effect size estimate for different types and severities of potential publication bias (Vevea & Woods, 2005). A mean study effect size was used in the publication bias analyses because independence is assumed in these methods and it is not yet possible to account for effect size dependency in these tests.
Use of Results in Court Proceedings
- An alcoholic trapped in the depths of the addiction may not even realize what they’re doing to their loved ones.
- Based on the survey and population data, the researchers estimated that nearly 19 million children under age 18 lived with one or more parents with an SUD in 2023.
- For example, a misdemeanor conviction might result in fines ranging from $500 to $2,500 and probation of up to a year.
- Given differences in the legal and social status, addictive potential, and cognitive effects, the effect on family members has been proposed to vary according to the particular substance consumed (Straussner, 1994; Straussner & Fewell, 2011).
- It is important to understand that, in most cases, just because a parent uses drugs (whether legal or illegal) does not mean that a report to CPS is required.
Background checks may also be conducted to identify any prior incidents of neglect or abuse. These findings guide CPS in determining the best course of action, which could range from offering support services to recommending the child’s removal from the home if their safety is at risk. The new findings show the importance of addressing substance use disorder in parents. Family-based interventions to address substance use disorders have the potential to improve the health of millions of U.S. children and their families. Because alcoholic parents, even high functioning ones, often become emotionally or even physically unavailable to children they may develop an intense fear of abandonment. Children of alcoholics may grow up to hold onto relationships that they shouldn’t or struggle with their ability to trust people because they are terrified of being abandoned by loved ones.