Re: Drug Testing in Child Protection Cases

[Jennifer Guimond <jguimond@xxxxxxx>]

I don't know much about the literature in child welfare cases, but in terms of
practice, children can be removed from parental custody if they test positive
for alcohol or drugs at birth.  There have been arguments that action should be
taken against women who test positive during pregnancy, but to my knowledge
nothing but education ever actually takes place.

Good Luck,
Jennifer Guimond

Reg Dumont wrote:

> 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