THE JUNKIE'S GAME . . .

It's Called Denial, And We Can't Play It With Arizona's Kids

Denial is a junkie's game. But Arizona is pretty good at it, too.

With substance abuse being an issue for 70 percent to 90 percent of parents
with children in Arizona's child-welfare system, it should be obvious that
the system cannot be reformed without making treatment a top priority.

The state shows an understanding of that fact - and a tragic unwillingness
to act on it.

A parent's substance abuse or addiction substantially increases a child's
likelihood of being abused or neglected, according to national child
welfare experts. That's because addicts and abusers put their high above
everything else, including their children. But because denial is a way of
life for addicts, they aren't likely to admit their abuses to a judge. They
will often fight for their children. This can doom a child to long years in
foster care while Mom or Dad rides the recovery/relapse roller coaster that
characterizes substance abuse.

It can also kill a child. Because of caseworker confusion about the best
interests of a child, state law needs to be changed to create a presumption
of neglect when babies are born to alcohol-or substance-abusing mothers.

The need for this change was tragically demonstrated by the death last year
of infant Anndreah Robertson. Child Protective Services allowed her to
remain in a home where crack smoke is suspected of killing her.

But addiction can also be overcome. Sobriety can be achieved and
maintained. Given some help, people can put their children's well-being
ahead of their need for an altered state of consciousness. In these cases,
the child is better off with a parent who shows the guts to stay straight.

Arizona knows this.

In 2001, the state used federal welfare money to launch a program called
Arizona Families First. It provides substance-abuse treatment to the
parents of children in the system.

The benefits are twofold. First, if a parent responds to treatment and
overcomes substance abuse, the child gets his or her family back.

Second, if the parent gets a chance for treatment and fails, the state has
satisfied the requirements of the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act.
Parental rights then can be severed in a time frame that respects a child's
sense of time. The child can be freed for adoption before becoming
system-wise and deeply suspicious of the intentions of adults.

The program has shown promising results.

It has brought families back together. This helps the budget because foster
care is more expensive in the long run than treatment. It has also given
judges the information they need to make good choices about whether to
sever parental rights.

The state's elected officials should be talking about how to improve and
expand Arizona Families First. Instead, the argument is between a
legislative budget that eliminates the program and Gov. Janet Napolitano's
budget, which retains it.

Even in tight budget times, the state cannot afford to wallow in denial
about the importance of substance-abuse treatment for parents of children
in the system. Such treatment has to be an integral part of what Child
Protective Services does - not for the benefit of the parents, but for the
sake of the children.