The two-year pilot study, to be conducted by UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP), is designed to explore the epidemiology and the medical, developmental, and placement outcomes of children removed from home-based methamphetamine laboratories (MA labs). Specifically, UCLA ISAP will analyze multidisciplinary data on drug-endangered children to enhance scientific understanding of the epidemiology and the medical (e.g., respiratory, dental, dermatological) and developmental (e.g., delays, psychosocial) problems of MA-exposed children, as well as the child-welfare case management services, treatment, and placement outcomes for these children. This study will include the cooperation of the Los Angeles Drug Endangered Children (DEC) program and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services. The DEC multidisciplinary programs are composed of narcotic officers, child protective services personnel, medical professionals, and prosecutors working together to protect children endangered by parental drug production, use, and sales.
The specific aims of this study are: 1) To analyze multidisciplinary data on drug-endangered children to describe the problems (e.g., medical and developmental assessments) and the placement outcomes (i.e., child protective services 18-month case dispositions) of children removed from home-based MA labs; 2) To analyze the placement outcomes of children removed from home-based MA labs in the context of legal timelines of the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) and California legislation requirements for filing felony child endangerment charges; and 3) To create opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration among researchers, law enforcement, child protective services, medical providers, and prosecutors to sustain the proposed study efforts, and to help guide child welfare policy on substance abusing families in California and other states that have drug-endangered programs through Advisory Board meetings and dissemination of results.
| Messina, Nena; Jeter, Kira; Marinelli-Casey, Patricia et al. (2014) Children exposed to methamphetamine use and manufacture. Child Abuse Negl 38:1872-83 |
| Messina, Nena; Jeter, Kira (2012) Parental Methamphetamine Use and Manufacture: Child and Familial Outcomes. J Public Child Welf 6:296-312 |
