'Orphans of Addiction' Are the Children of Us All
Community mast work at every level to save these innocents

Threeyearold Tamika Triggs is safe today. Clean, fed and supervised by
responsible adults, she no longer needs to pretend to sleep on her mother's
lap as the woman shoots up heroin and smokes crack cocaine. Los Angeles
County social workers tracked down Tamika on Sunday after she was featured
in a Times series, "Orphans of Addiction," by urban affairs writer Sonia
Nazarlo and staff photographer Clarence Williams. She now lives temporarily
in the respite of a foster home.

Like Tamika, thousands of children have parents in name only, junkies or
alcoholics who care more about a shot of heroin or vodka than a starving son
or a sick daughter. The first step is finding and protecting these children.
Teachers should be alert for telltale signs like chronic truancy;
administrators should track youngsters who leave one school and don't enrolI
in another. Women on welfare who give birth to drug exposed babies should be
guaranteed drug abuse treatment and their future cash payments should be
made contingent on the results of random drug tests. And all witnesses to
child abuse should call the 24hour Los Angeles County hotline, (800)
5404000. (A 20% increase in calls was reported Monday.)

Once kids like Tamika are found, however, their future still remains
uncertain.

Part of the problem a 1980 federal law that encourages states to reunite
abused and neglected children with their abusive biological parents, will be
corrected by legislation that President Clinton plans to sign Wednesday.

The bill will require states to terminate birth parents' custody almost
instantly if a child has been seriously abused or, in lesser cases, after
the child has spent 15 months in foster care and the parents haven't shaped
up. While the legislation recognizes that child safety has to be paramount,
it can do little to increase adoptions of abused children. (Of the 100,000
children available nationwide for adoption each year, only 20,000 find
families.) So in addttion to cracking down on abusive families, California
officials must address the root causes.

One key is to expand the state's child abuse prevention programs. A leading
model in the public sector is Los Angeles County's 28 "cammunity family
preservation networks," wherein social workers organize key support systems
for families that are good candidates for rehabuitation. These include help
with drug treatment, housing, day care and jobs. The program has won
national recognition for rehabilitating 85% of the families it assists.

A model for private sector reform is Keith Village, a Compton residential
recovery program profiled in the Times series. Keith Village has helped
dozens of parents and children recover from the emotional trauma of
addiction.

State officials also should revise outmoded child protection funding laws. A
1992 state law requires counties to spend threequarters of such funding on
traditional foster and group homes. But children would sometimes be better
off staying with a parent in a domestic violence shelter, for instance, or
in a child care program attached to a substance abuse center. The state also
should consider allowing mothers jailed for drug offenses to serve their
sentences in residential treatment programs.

The success of programs like Keith village and L.A. County's family
preservation networks proves that helping children like Tamika Trigga is
well within our power. But the estimated number of abused and neglected
children in this nation increased 149% between 1980 and 1993. There are so
many more like Tamika who must first be found.

To Take Action: financial contrtbutions may be sent to Keith Village through
SHIELDS for Families, Inc., Kathy Icenhower, Executive Director; P.O. Bar
59129. Las Angeles, Calif 900590813. Take clothing or toys to SHIELDS at
2620 Industry Way. Lynwood, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.