Vol. 10, No. 1• November 2005

Fostering children whose parents struggle with substance abuse

Parental substance abuse is a huge factor in the child welfare system in the U.S. Studies have shown that at least one out of every three child maltreatment cases involves substance abuse. In a 2001 survey, 85% of states identified substance abuse as a major problem in families suspected of child maltreatment.

Effects on Children
According to Breshears and colleagues (2005), when a child’s primary caregiver abuses substances:

  • Home life may be chaotic/unpredictable
  • Parenting may be inconsistent and there may be a lack of appropriate supervision
  • Substance-abusing adults may provide inconsistent emotional responses to children, or they may provide inconsistent care, especially to younger children
  • Parents may have abandoned children physically and emotionally
  • Parents may emphasize secrecy about home life
  • Parental behavior may make the child feel guilt, shame, or self-blame

Because of these experiences, children may have developed feelings such as:

  • Believing they have to be perfect
  • Believing they have to become the parent to the parent
  • Difficulty trusting others
  • Difficulty maintaining attachment
  • Difficulty achieving self-esteem
  • Difficulty achieving self-autonomy
  • Extreme shyness or aggressiveness

Parental substance abuse can also significantly impact children’s development. According to the National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (2003), children of substance-abusing parents often do not progress as easily through the normal child developmental milestones. The experiences described above can interfere with typical physical, emotional, and educational development, and may make it harder for them to move on to the next developmental task.

A Foster Parent’s Question
If you are a foster parent, most of this is probably not news to you. During your pre-service training you learned that drugs and alcohol were a concern. If you have been fostering a while, you may have seen with your own eyes the devastating impact parental substance abuse can have on children and their families.

A question that may linger for you, though, is: Am I doing everything I should to help the children in my care heal and grow?

The following section, which describes common needs of these children, may help you answer this question.

Responding to Children’s Needs
When a child’s primary caregiver has a substance abuse disorder, he or she often needs:

  • To be screened for developmental delays, medical conditions, mental health problems, substance abuse problems, and appropriate follow-up needs to be provided
  • Counseling or support groups
  • Consistent, ongoing support and caregivers who keep them safe and help them recover over the long period of time.
  • The opportunity to identify and express feelings with a safe and trusted adult
  • Information about substance abuse and the disease of addiction so that they know they are not to blame

Child welfare social workers will take the lead in identifying and responding to most of these needs. However, as the person looking after the child 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the foster parent should know about and follow up on these items. For example, if the placing social worker does not tell you whether the child has been screened for developmental delays and other issues and you know substance abuse is an issue in the child’s family of origin, ask about this.

As a foster parent you should also be ready to talk to a child about his or her parent’s substance abuse. To guide these discussions, you may wish to use the following talking points from the National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (2003):

  • Addiction is a disease. Your parent is not a bad person. She has a disease. The alcohol or other drugs cause your parent to lose control. When they drink or use drugs, parents can behave in ways that do not keep you safe or cared for.
  • You are not the reason your parent drinks or uses drugs. You did not cause this disease. You cannot stop your parent’s drinking or drug use.
  • There lots of children like you. In fact, there are millions of children whose parents are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Some are in your school. You’re not alone.
  • Let’s think of people whom you might talk with about your concerns. You don’t have to feel scared or ashamed or embarrassed. You can talk to your teacher, a close friend, or to an adult in your family that you trust.

Want to Know More?
Much of the information in this article was drawn from “Understanding Substance Use Disorders, Treatment and Family Recovery,” a free online course about alcohol and drug addiction. Although the course is geared toward child welfare workers, foster parents can also benefit from the valuable information contained in this course. To take this course, go to <www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov/tutorials>.

Copyright � 2005 Jordan Institute for Families