News Report | August 4, 2019
Children Removed From Parents Due To Drug Use Increased By 147% Over 15 Years
The number of children removed from their homes and placed in foster care due to parental drug use increased by 147% between 2000 and 2017. In 2000, 14.5% of the total 269,382 children removed that year were due to parental drug use; 39,130 children were affected. In 2017, 36.3% of the total 266,583 children removed that year were due to parental drug use; 96,672 children were affected. Parental drug use is defined as the principal caretaker’s recurrent and lasting use of drugs.
These findings were presented in "Trends in Foster Care Entry Among . . .