Pubdate: Tue, 21 Mar 2006
Source: Scotsman (UK)
Copyright: 2006 The Scotsman Publications Ltd
Contact: http://members.scotsman.com/contact.cfm
Website: http://www.scotsman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/406
Author: Hamish MacDonald, Scottish Political Editor

ADDICTS FACE DRUG TESTS TO SEE IF THEY CAN CARE FOR THEIR
CHILDREN

ADDICT parents may have to undergo drug tests to establish whether
they are fit to look after their own children, it emerged yesterday.

The idea has been put to Peter Peacock, the children's minister, who
is now considering whether parents who are drug users could be forced
to take drug tests to find out whether their children are likely to
come to harm.

They could undergo the tests voluntarily, the tests could become
conditions of parenting orders imposed by the courts, or they could be
sought by a children's hearing.

Ministers are looking for ways to improve the care of vulnerable
children. Jack McConnell, the First Minister, has ordered his cabinet
to come up with ways of strengthening the law following the death of a
two-year-old boy in East Lothian, who drank his parents' methadone.

The idea was floated by a senior figure in the Association of
Directors of Social Work, which has raised it with Mr Peacock.

An Executive spokeswoman said: "They raised it with ministers and it's
something that ministers are seriously looking at.

"Officials are looking at how this could be practically
implemented."

Bernadette Doherty, the chairwoman of the association's child and
family care standing committee, said social workers were hampered by a
lack of objective evidence in establishing grounds for either removing
children, or returning them to their parents.

"Parents can say they are drug-free and in the absence of objective
evidence it's difficult for us to prove to the contrary," she told BBC
Radio Scotland.

Speaking after meeting Mr Peacock, she said: "I think we share
concerns about what is happening to children.

"We know there is a rising population of children living with
drug-addicted, chaotic parents and he was interested to know what we
thought would help from a social work perspective." 
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MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPF Florida)