A&M JOINS FIGHT TO SAVE FAMILIES

DHR, Courts Get Help With Cases Of Substance Abuse Among Parents

Educators, the county's child protective agency and the courts are
joining forces to combat the breakup of families caused by drugs and alcohol.

To kick off the effort, officials from Alabama A&M University, the
Madison County Department of Human Resources and the Madison County
Family Drug Court signed an agreement Wednesday. A&M's school of
social work will help DHR and the court devise strategies to address
the problem and identify resources.

More than 80 percent of child abuse and neglect reports investigated
by DHR social workers involve parental alcohol and drug use, said
Drenda G. King, local DHR director. The department is also beginning
to encounter more parents addicted to crystal methamphetamine, she said.

DHR gets involved when the welfare of a child is threatened. Reports
come from police, teachers, medical professionals, family and
concerned individuals, King said.

Usually, DHR and the court place at-risk children in foster homes;
however, the goal of the agency is to keep families together, she said.

Since 2002, the agency has referred cases involving substance abuse
to the Madison County Family Drug Court, which was created under
District Judge Lynn Sherrod.

The program does not impose criminal penalties for drug use. Instead,
it refers parents to treatment, work and education programs. The
court decides on the treatment.

The court meets twice a month and tries to find alternatives to
costly long-term foster care for the children, Sherrod said.

Participants are monitored through an 18-month treatment program,
said Stephanie Bell, a DHR social worker. They are first involved in
a yearlong substance abuse treatment program. Then, the court
monitors them during a six-month follow-up program.

So far, DHR has referred 82 people for treatment through the Family
Drug Court, Bell said. Those cases involved 154 children who were
placed in foster care or with family members, she said. About 16
people have graduated, she said, and 51 children have been reunited
with their parents.

Treatment is the most important aspect of reuniting families wrecked
by substance abuse, Bell said. The staggering caseload stretches
DHR's budget, which has covered the cost for treatment of
participants since the drug court program started, Bell said.

Under the agreement, the grants department at A&M and the court will
assist DHR in finding new sources of money, Bell said. The social
work department will conduct research and evaluate the program to
ensure participants are receiving the most efficient and effective
services, she said.

The joint effort will give A&M students and faculty a chance to gain
experience through research and apply their knowledge to real-life
situations, said Dr. Virginia Caples, the school's interim president.
It also allows the university to help the community, she said.