Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said the growing drug crisis places a greater burden on the already-strained child-welfare system, including in Cambria County.
Cambria County was one of 13 counties highlighted in DePasquale’s State of the Child report released last month.
“We found an overburdened system: not enough caseworkers, too much turnover. And particularly here in Cambria County, how the opioid explosion is challenging caseworkers, particularly at the ground level. Making it much more difficult for them to protect children,” said Auditor General Eugene DePasquale.
Cambria County saw a 20 percent increase in child abuse reports from 2014 to 2016. The county also had the second highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the state in 2016.
“There are too many kids in too many households where either parents or guardians are addicted to drugs,” said DePasquale.
Children and Youth Services said that addiction can endanger children, if they are abused or neglected. Caseworkers are also put in danger when they respond to homes where drugs are being used or sold.
“We have people who are suffering from a disease who are also in the role of parents who are trying to take care of parents who are trying to take care of others. It’s difficult to do that when you’re first trying to take care of yourself,” said Frederick Oliveros, the assistant administrator for the Cambria County Drug and Alcohol Program.
DePasquale said getting addicts into treatment will be the biggest challenge and the best chance of keeping children safe.
“The less people addicted to drugs, the more we can tackle some of these other issues,” DePasquale said.
Depasquale plans to meet with other counties listed on his State of the Child report by the end of this year. He said he will come back in the spring with his recommendations on how to fix the child-welfare system, given the current opioid epidemic.