0555b664__Alcohol_and_Other_Drug_Issues__Program_Improvement_Plan__PIP_
[State] New York In regard to services to the family to protect child(ren) in home and prevent removal there were strengths including evidence in the case review that preventive services for parents with substance abuse problems and domestic violence were provided. A spring 2000 review of foster care cases in NYC showed that the services most frequently needed by parents and other discharge resources were parenting skills training (66%), drug treatment (46%), housing assistance (37%), mental health services (28%) and income maintenance services (20%). The services most frequently ordered by the Court were parenting skills training (29%) and drug treatment (27%). Services were actually provided as follows: parenting skills training was provided to 71% of parents who needed it; drug treatment was provided to 70% of parents who needed it; and housing assistance was provided to 67% of parents who needed it. The statewide assessment had mixed opinions of NYC on whether services were offered prior to removal of the child and a lack of sufficient services, as evidenced by waiting lists for parenting and drug treatment programs. There were preventive services including counseling, mental health services for a mother diagnosed with depression, substance abuse treatment, parenting skills, and housing assistance. There are coordinated services through a Workgroup on Substance Abuse Services for Vulnerable Families Other New York State initiatives supporting pre-placement preventive services are the Domestic Violence/Child Abuse Prevention initiative, Preventive Services funded with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars, Family Resolutions Projects, and a collaboration of services between OCFS and the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS). Sometimes cases lacked a family-centered approach in assessing the children's health, safety and well being. In one case, the major needs of the child and his mother were not assessed and identified. The mother's past issues with substance abuse and domestic violence had not been reevaluated to determine if those problems currently existed. Stakeholders expressed that some assessments of children placed in foster care through voluntary agreements identify the child's behavior as the major concern, when in fact, there are often underlying issues such as domestic violence, chronic neglect, and/or parental substance abuse. In the New York City Family Treatment Courts initiative, family service plans have become a focal point for biweekly hearings to monitor the participation of caretakers who are substance abusers, and for the provision of services to caretakers with substance abuser issues and their families. The overall training initiative was rated as very good, such as training curricula addressing domestic violence and its connection to child welfare, as well as medical, substance abuse and mental health issues includes the issues to a much greater extent than in the past. In regard to the service array there is a need for more substance abuse, mental and sexual abuse services and therapeutic homes
No mention
A Review of Alcohol and Other Drug Issues
Program Improvement Plan (PIP)