Parental Substance Abuse: Implications for Children, the Child Welfare System, and Foster Care Outcomes

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the implications of parental substance abuse for children and the child welfare system, and permanency planning for foster care cases involving parental substance abuse, focusing on reviews of the substance abuse histories and drug treatment experiences of parents, as well as initiatives that might help achieve timely exits from foster care for cases involving parental substance abuse.