Dr. Nancy Young, Director of the Children and Family Futures, recently testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on the impact of the opioid epidemic on child welfare. She explained that “rates of dependence on heroin has doubled and overdose deaths increased 286 percent between 2002 and 2013” (p. 3). Parental opioid use can jeopardize children’s safety through both prenatal and postnatal exposure. Child welfare data backs this conclusion, with statistics showing that “drug abuse by parents showed the largest rate of increase over the past five years” (p. 10).
For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s resource on the opioid epidemic, read a notice from the National Children’s Alliance, or read the full testimony.
