{"id":2219,"date":"2020-10-07T12:34:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T18:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/co4kids.org\/?p=2219"},"modified":"2025-01-23T09:52:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T16:52:26","slug":"a-drug-test-is-just-one-piece-of-the-puzzle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/co4kids.org\/es\/community-blog\/a-drug-test-is-just-one-piece-of-the-puzzle\/","title":{"rendered":"A drug test is just one piece of the puzzle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Back to Blogs<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Community Blog<\/a><\/div>\n\n

A drug test is just one piece of the puzzle<\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Professionals in child welfare, child maltreatment prevention, prenatal and neonatal care need to collaborate to improve support for families impacted by substance use disorders prior to the birth of a new baby and during those first years of a child\u2019s life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working together across sectors to strengthen families impacted by substance use means that it is critical that caseworkers and supervisors alike know how to read toxicology results, decipher symptoms related to substance use and know how substance use may or may not impact someone’s ability to parent children of all ages. This can be complicated and overwhelming. A Toxicology Resource Guide<\/a> was developed to support Colorado child welfare professionals in understanding substances, possible effects and the utility and application of toxicology testing to enhance practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accidental drug overdose is one of the leading causes of maternal death in Colorado\u00a0[<\/a>1]<\/a>, and a woman’s risk for overdose is highest at 7-12 months postpartum\u00a0[<\/a>2]<\/a>. However, fear of losing custody of your child, stigma and lack of appropriate treatment options for parents are real challenges for families in Colorado. We need to work together to keep families together and support healthy kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent legislative changes have underscored the fact that substance use may or may not impact someone’s ability to care for a child, mandatory reporters in health care settings are still encouraged to refer a family to support from child protective services by reporting concerns to the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline 844 -CO-4-Kids if they have a concern. These legislative changes to the Children\u2019s Code in 2020 as a result of SB20-028 Substance Use Disorder Recovery included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n