May 2006Vol. 7, No. 4Parental Substance Abuse, Child Protection, and ASFA
A new study from the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law explores how dependency courts are making permanency decisions under the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) for children of substance abusers.
The study found that some courts and child welfare agencies have responded to the accelerated timeframes mandated by ASFA by implementing new initiatives and developing special programs for substance-abusing parents. These new practices include speedy assessments, early and frequent case reviews, monitoring of court orders, accountability for following case plans, and providing a range of services for parents and children. Findings are based on both a survey of dependency court judges and an indepth study of five courts that have implemented special strategies for handling cases with substance-abusing parents.
The full report is available online:
[Editor's note: This link is no longer available.]