NPR

More Kids Are Getting Placed In Foster Care Because Of Parents' Drug Use

With drug use surging in the past decade and a half, many parents are losing custody of their kids. But is foster care the best solution?
Source: Heleen Zeegers

The number of cases of children entering the foster care system due to parental drug use has more than doubled since 2000, according to research published this week in JAMA Pediatrics.

Researchers analyzed data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), a federally mandated data collection system that includes information on children in foster care in the United States.

They looked at nearly 5 million instances of children entering foster care between

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