Drug Testing in Child Protection Cases

["Reg Dumont" <rdumont@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am looking at the issue of drug testing of parents when the parent's
substance abuse has been identified as presenting a risk to their child.

I recognize that this is a contentious issue, and that there are a variety
of issues/questions which arise from it.  However, my questions are focussed
on the following.

Can random drug testing (urinalysis) be an effective method of assessing a
person's ability to abstain from drugs/alcohol?

Is there a better way of monitoring an individual's ability to abstain from
drugs?

Is there any literature which addresses the use of drug testing of parents
in child welfare cases?

Which child welfare jurisdictions are using drug testing, and can you
recommend anyone to contact about its application? (e.g how and when they
use drug testing, what are the pros and cons of its use)

Requests for parents to submit to drug testing typically arise when the
following two conditions exist:

1)  the child was removed the parent's care and substance abuse was a
significant factor in the removal of the child

2)  when there is a court order allowing child welfare authorities to
supervise the child's return to the parent.

The supervision  order may (for example), contain conditions that
- the parent abstain from all use of alcohol
- upon request of the social worker,. the parent is to provide a urine
sample to
 Dr. X.
- failure to comply with any of the conditions of this supervision order
will result in the removal of the child from the parent's care.

The literature I have found deals with drug testing in the work force or in
prisons. I have not found anything which looks at its application in child
welfare.

I am a policy analyst in child protection.

Karen Wallace
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada