How do we stop the meth epidemic from flooding the foster care system?

Question

I've been talking with several caseworkers recently and I'm astounded at the number of foster children that are resulting in adoptions due to their bio families not being able to get clean from Meth. What else can we do as a community to get folks to get clean (or don't start at all) so they can raise their children?

My current foster daughter is in care due to Meth. She was born addicted to it. I'll be adopting her next month because her bio mom just can't stay clean or out of jail.

Answer 1

Have you ever tried meth? It's not so bad.

The real problem is people having kids

when they're not ready for them.

Edit: NOOOOOOO... The drug is not bad... the "mother" is.

Edit2: Look, to you people giving me thumbs down, just because it's not what you're used to hearing doesn't mean I'm wrong and furthermore doesn't mean you shouldn't consider an alternate point of view.... Don't be closed-minded, people!

Answer 2

I think if we took the time to help them, talk them through their problems, and make them see what they are doing to their family that would be more effective. Maybe a therapist should start coming into jails where the parents are. I'm not really sure what would help because people get addicted so easily to meth. I can't believe someone would smoke something that could blow up their face.....

Answer 3

As a social worker, I have my optimistic and pessimistic ideas about this issue. I think that parents need to start taking responsibilities for their actions. If they choose to (for whatever reason) use drugs then they have to pay the consequences e.g. loose their child, go to to jail, end up in hospitals. Unfortunately, the children have to pay the consequences as well. But that is why people like you and me exist in this world. We can only do so much. And we are already doing much. I mean look at you, you are adopting a child that most likely will bring you  many challenges due to her history. I admire you for that truly. You already have done your part.

Ideally, education and community outreach in areas where meth use is more common would possible decrease the use and encourage drug treatment for these parents. But really thats all we can do. We can also familiarize ourselves with this particular population (meth users). Lets educate ourselves about where these people come from, their backgrounds, their support systems, their life stories, and with this information we can help each parent/individual more effectively. one by one.

Drugs will always exist as long as there are people who use them. Lets try and get these these parents involved in other things (volunteer programs, educational programs, social support groups) and offer them incentives to motivate them to get involved. But good incentives, like cheap rent, groceries, whatever THEIR needs are. I think most importantly, as a community, we need to stop discriminating against this population and stop marginalizing them. Some will fail, some will succeed. I guess that would be my pessimistic idea.

P.S the county system has actually improved in the last decade if you look at current statictics. Atleast in California it has.

Answer 4

addiction is a disease, and alot of people need help learning to live with this disease and not give into it, just like any other disesase. Our system sends addicts to prison or jail instead of rehabilitating them.

We need to focus on attachment parenting and break the cycle of separation through-out generations of families. Separation has a profound effect infants and families, the loss can be profound and effect the infants parenting styles when they grow up. Separation effects can come from bottle feeding, cribs, daycare etc. we need to reform the entire way our socity sees parenting and mother/child bond. For too many generations theres been disfunction. Its got to stop NOW. Integrating some type of foster child alumni personel to be advocates for foster children is a good step. They truly know the pit of it.