What is the link between the child welfare system and chemical dependency?
• Studies of the link between parental substance abuse and child maltreatment suggest that chemical dependency is present in between 40% and 80% of all cases in child welfare system. 1 • Children whose parents abuse alcohol and other drugs (AOD) are almost three times likelier to be abused and more than four times likelier to be neglected than children of parents who are not substance abusers. While parents, especially mothers, abuse alcohol and other drugs at lower rates than do persons without children, there are a great many children, 8.3 million, living with substance abusing parents. 2 • 88% of states (36 states) report that parental substance abuse and poverty are the top two problems exhibited by families reported for child maltreatment. 3 • Substance abusing families with young children are placing an enormous burden on medical, social and educational systems. this is reflected in the 89.5% national increase of out-of-home care placements between 1987 and 1996. 4 • According to
