Policy & Practice December 2018

policy pov

Child Welfare

Opioid Epidemic

By Malik Baker

By Anthony Cutillo

C hildren involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems are often overlooked. Commonly referred to as dually involved youth —they are suffering from the effects of childhood trauma. Yet research on this population is growing. Experts now know that a disproportionate number of youths involved in both systems are children of color, economically disadvan- taged, and lacking family connections—all key factors in determining quality of life. This illuminates the crucial intersection between the child welfare and juvenile justice systems and calls for greater focus on the trauma that dually involved youth experience. The truth is that children and adolescents who experi- ence trauma are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. In fact, more than 90 percent of incarcerated youth had experienced at least one traumatic event, according to a recent study. 1 In most cases, adolescents who enter the child welfare system (due to repeated abuse or neglect) thereafter commit an offense that leads to placement in the juvenile justice system. Children who have experienced a traumatic event are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior that results in detention. 2 The subsequent effects resulting from traumatic experiences, such as aggressive tendencies,

T he opioid epidemic in the United States has become one of the most severe public health crises our country has ever seen. In 2016 alone, more than 60,000 people in the United States died from an overdose of opioids. As the size of the opioid epidemic has magnified, it has become clear that the conventional thinking around sub- stance abuse often creates more problems and exacerbates existing issues in communities facing substance use dis- orders (SUD). Our national SUD policies have historically not reflected the growing body of evidence showing that addiction is a disease and not a choice. The scope of this epidemic has caught the attention of the public and has pushed lawmakers to action. The “SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act” (the Act) was created with these issues in mind and seeks to help communities across the country struggling with SUD. On October 24, 2018, the Act was signed into law by President Trump with over- whelming bipartisan support—a step forward in curbing the nation’s opioid epidemic. It makes changes that will affect human services organizations and the ways they can help people affected by SUD. The Act approaches the opioid epidemic at the bottom rung of the addiction ladder—with prevention. The law requires Medicaid coverage for eligible youth who

See Child Welfare on page 31

See Opioid Epidemic on page 31

Illustrations by Chris Campbell

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