CPS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE Milton Ayala, LMSW [e-mail] 512-438-3863

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CPS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE Milton Ayala,
LMSWmilton.ayala_at_dfps.state.tx.us 512-438-3863
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• OVERVIEW
• CPS Mission
• Data
• Addiction
• Key Components of Effective Treatment
• OSAR

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CPS Mission

• The mission of Child Protective Services is to
  protect children and to act in the childrens
  best interest. To seek active involvement of the
  childrens parents and other family members to
  solve problems that lead to abuse and neglect

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Substances Abuse Trends in Texas June 2009

• Increased heroin inhalation by young Hispanics
• Youth in their twenties are shifting to injecting
  illicit drugs - based on treatment admission
• Decrease in cocaine and methamphetamine
  indicators (drug violence, drug seizures,
  increased price)
• Decrease in proportion of African American crack
  users
• Primary drug of abuse at admission to treatment
  (2007)
• Heroin (10)
• Cocaine (24)
• Methamphetamine (11)
• Source DSHS and UT Center for Social Work
  Research

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Drug or Alcohol Related Investigation During FY
2008
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Analysis

• About 40 of Child Abuse and Neglect
  Investigations had a drug or alcohol person
  characteristic
• Nationally, figure ranges from 33-66(samsha.gov)
  
• 60 of removals were connected to the existence
  of drug or alcohol use/abuse
• In 88 child deaths, alcohol and/ or drugs was a
  factor in the childs death
• 222 Meth Intakes/570 cases Discovered or
  Confirmed during Investigation
• Source DFPS Data Warehouse (2008)

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Addiction

• A chronic, relapsing brain disease that is
  characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use,
  despite harmful consequences Source NIDA
  (The Science of Addiction)

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Effective Treatment

• The key components of effective treatment as
  defined by DFPS are
• (1) Abstinence
• (2) Involvement in treatment or aftercare
• (3) Acquisition and demonstration of parenting
  skills to include bonding
• (4) Problems that led to abuse and neglect
  have been solved.
• (5) Relapse Safety Plan.

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OSAR

• DRAFT PSA OSAR
• OSAR
• DFPS encourages the primary use of the OSAR
  contractors.
• Local Treatment Contractors
• The DFPS caseworker can make a direct referral to
  local treatment contractors when there is not an
  OSAR appointment available within 14 days or the
  distance to an OSAR site is excessive and the
  OSAR can not make arrangements to travel to the
  client's location.

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DFPS-DSHS MOU (Proposed)

• DSHS agrees to place parents with children in
  foster care as a priority population to be served
  by DSHSs contractors. Additionally, DSHS agrees
  to give priority admission to all other clients
  referred by DFPS, behind the DSHS Priority
  Populations. DFPS clients include children and
  adults

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DSHS Priority Groups

• pregnant injecting drug users
• pregnant substance abusers
• injecting drug users
• parents with children in foster care and
• veterans with honorable discharges

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DFPS-DSHS MOU (Proposed)

• DFPS staff will complete the standardized
  referral form that includes details concerning
  potential substance misuse issues for each client
  referred to a DSHS contractor.

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DFPS Referrals by SVCS 2009

• Detoxification
  5
• Specialized Female Outpatient 45
• Specialized Female Residential 29
• Women and Children Residential 45
• Reference DSHS Data

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Communications

• Best Practices
• ----Reminding Client about
  Appointment
• ----Scheduling CPS Clients when a
  cancellation occurs in the OSAR appointment
  calendar
• ---- OSAR Co-located in a CPS
  Office on Specific Days and Times

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Communications

• Areas That Could be Improved
• (Open Discussion)

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QUESTIONS?