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Drug Exposed Infants in the Social Welfare System and Juvenile Court

NCJ Number
153323
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1995) Pages: 83-91
Author(s)
I J Sagatun-Edwards; C Saylor; B Shifflett
Date Published
1995
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This research explored how drug-exposed infants were processed, following a positive toxicology screen, by the California Department of Social Services and Juvenile Court (DPSSJC) and constructed a demographic profile of these cases.
Abstract
Information was obtained from case files of the DPSSJC for a large urban county of Northern California. Data from 284 case files allowed the construction of a socioeconomic profile of cases over an 18-month period and enabled researchers to track case progress through reviews and hearings. It was found that black and Hispanic cases were overrepresented and that white and Asian cases were underrepresented, compared to the relevant county population. A petition to the juvenile court was filed in almost half of the initial cases. Among children who were made dependents of the court, about 80 percent were removed from the mother and placed in reunification services. Of these, one-third were later returned to the family, while the rest went to permanent placements outside the home. 12 references, 2 tables, and 1 figure