Sunday, November 24, 2024
11/24/2024
Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana (VOAOHIN) and its partners Marion County Superior Court-Juvenile Division and the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) propose a comprehensive project to target mothers who give birth to newborns who test positive for drugs in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Service Area, Indiana. Except for the first year, the project intends to serve 56 mothers and their infants and children annually for a total of 252 by the end of the project period. Indiana University Methodist Hospital reports that 1 in 4 babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit are there because of withdrawal from drugs, which usually results in an open case with DCS. In 2013, there was a 30% increase in children entering DCS, primarily due to parental substance abuse. The proposed project will address the problems of 1) an absence of formal coordination mechanisms between the courts, DCS, and treatment providers, 2) the rising rate of children placed in state custody due to addiction, and 3) a severe shortage of treatment and aftercare services for postpartum women with substance use disorders. As a result, mothers and newborns are being separated shortly after birth. Many of these newborns are placed in an emergency shelter due to a shortage of foster care homes. This separation results in short- and long-term adverse outcomes for both the mother and the infant.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
