MORE METH ARRESTS STRAIN DCS

Crackdown Has More Kids Needing Foster Homes

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - State Department of Children's Services workers on
the Cumberland Plateau are recruiting foster parents in earnest.

There's a shortage at a time when the number of children taken into
protective custody is on the increase, in part because of the
continued proliferation of homemade "labs" used in making the
illegal drug methamphetamine.

Meth "is causing the number of children coming into custody to
increase, there's no doubt about that. With the limited resources we
have with foster homes, it's causing difficulty in finding places,"
said George Stephens, a DCS team coordinator in Cookeville's office.

For example, in Putnam County, the number of children placed in foster
care has increased from 72 in fiscal 1998-99 to 108 in 2000-01. During
the same period, White County foster home placements increased from 36
to 47, and in Van Buren County, from seven to 13. Law officers in all
three counties have made significant arrests for meth use and production.

According to DCS, the Upper Cumberland region has 287 foster parents,
not nearly enough to meet the need.

"You just hope and pray that when you need one, you can find a foster
home, even though it may be three counties away," said DCS caseworker
Betsy Dunn, also of the Cookeville office.

"We transported kids until midnight the other night in one
case."

The foster parent shortage has been exacerbated on the plateau because
of the meth problem. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug
synthesized in kitchen laboratories from easily available chemicals.

During the "cooking" process, fumes permeate the home which can
often cause rashes, nausea and respiratory ailments in humans. Some
researchers believe exposure may cause developmental delays in children.

Often called "poor man's cocaine," meth has become the drug of
choice in many rural counties.

"Meth just gravitates to these areas, and unfortunately these rural
regions don't have the resources that larger counties do," Stephens
said.

In response, the department has established a foster care recruitment
unit in Cookeville. A toll-free hot line - 1-888-335-9486 - has been
established for prospective foster parents. Officials are hopeful the
effort will provide relief.

"It's hard to find good ones. They have to be committed to this. You
do it because you want to, not for the money that's given," Dunn
said, noting that prospective foster parents have to receive 30 hours
of training.

With the implementation of a new state law that went into effect last
month, DCS officials are certain more children will be taken into
protective custody. The new law allows authorities to charge parents
with severe child abuse if their children are found in a home where
meth is being manufactured.

Formerly, officials had difficulty removing children from homes where
illegal activity couldn't be proved.

"We see an increase in the termination of parental rights when
children are found in a home where meth is made," said Carla Aaron,
DCS spokeswoman.