More Children Are Being Placed Into Foster Care Because Of the Opioid Crisis in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, NC.–WCCB learned the opined crisis is taking a toll on children in North Carolina. More children are being placed into foster care, because of their parents drug addictions.

In the past five years, the number of kids in foster care in North Carolina has gone up 25%. That increase happened around the same time the opioid crisis began.

Like with any trickle down affect, substance abuse doesn’t just hurt the abuser.

“Other counties I’ve talked to have kids sleeping in their offices overnight until they find a foster care placement. So it’s challenging,” says Children’s Home Society Director Dennis Daughtry.

Dennis Daughtry with Children’s Home Society, a foster care placement center, says opioids are driving more kids into the system.

“Around two years ago you start seeing these numbers and you start going, they should be going down, but we see this increase happening, why is that.”

The spike in kids entering the system isn’t coming from urban areas, it’s coming from the rural areas like Gaston and Lincoln Counties.

From 2013 to 2016, Gaston county saw a 78% increase of children in foster care. Lincoln County saw a 64% increase.

Part of the reason, according to Daughtry, is a lack of resources.

Treatment facilities,  counseling centers, things of that availability so they can get their lives back together.”

Exactly why Gaston County recently joined others who plan to sue drug-makers and people who sell prescription opioids. Winning the suit would give the counties money for those resources.

“Hopefully there’s some other resources if it goes through and finalizes that will become available to them so they can help these kids and these families get back together.”