STUDY SHOWS CONNECTION BETWEEN DRUGS, CHILD ABUSE

Parental drug and alcohol abuse is largely responsible for a surge in child
abuse and neglect, according to a report that urges more government spending
to treat addicted parents.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse said in its report
yesterday that providing treatment for addicted parents would reduce the ned
to remove children from their families.

The study notes that the number of child welfare cases has more than doubled
over 10 years, from 1.4 million in 1986 to more than 3 million in 1997. The
problem costs society billions of dollars each year, the authors say.

"Child abuse walks hand in hand with drug abuse and alcohol abuse," said
Joseph Califano, the center's president and a former secretary of Health,
Education and Welfare. "If we're serious about doing something about child
abuse and neglect, we better get serious about alcohol (and drug) abuse."

The report outlines the challenges of the child welfare system, particularly
the large number of cases that workers and judges must handle and the lack
of money available for drug and alcohol treatment.

It includes results from a survery of 915 professionals who work in the
child welfare system. The survey found that 71.6 percent cited substance
abuse as one of the top three causes of the rise in reported cases of child
abuse and neglect, followed by better reporting and poverty.

At the same time, just 5.8 percent of respondents said there was no wait for
parents who need inpatient treatment; only 26 percent said there is no wait
for outpatient treatment.