RULES ON DRUGGED NEWBORNS REVERSED

Following an outcry by juvenile court judges, Alabama DHR leaders have
reversed a controversial policy change concerning drug-positive newborns.

Social workers will again handle cases of newborns who test positive for
drugs as automatic child abuse or neglect reports, Department of Human
Resources spokesman Mike Gibson said Tuesday.

Earlier this fall, the agency had changed the policy, lessening the
seriousness of these cases.

That change was to have gone into effect Nov. 1. It called for
drug-positive newborns to be handled as less serious "prevention" cases.
That meant social workers would first determine if the mother's drug use
warranted DHR's continued involvement. However, the judges who oversee
cases involving troubled families warned DHR that loosening oversight of
these families could be deadly for vulnerable children.

"The opinion of the judges was taken into account," Gibson said.

The controversy, in part, led to the creation of a DHR Judges Policy
Council, Gibson said. The council will work with DHR officials on rules and
other issues.

Jefferson County Family Court Judge Sandra Storm said Tuesday she was still
waiting on a written version of the newest decision. Storm, an outspoken
critic of loosening the policy, was relieved over DHR's announcement.

"I feel more confident about that policy," Storm said.

For the last several weeks, judges from numerous counties have been in
lengthy discussions with DHR leaders trying to sort out their differences
of opinion.

Storm said DHR officials seemed surprised at the judges' alarm.

"They were looking at it more from a theory. I don't think it occurred to
them the kind of impact it would have on courts and on the community,"
Storm said.