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Drug epidemic drives increase in foster care numbers, commissioner says

Charleston Gazette-Mail: More and more West Virginia children are being placed in foster care because of drug-related issues, and the state is struggling to retain enough child welfare workers to keep up with demand, the head of the Bureau for Children and Families told lawmakers Tuesday.

As of Oct. 1, more than 6,100 West Virginia children are in foster care, acting BCF Commissioner Linda Watts told members of the Joint Committee on Children and Families. Watts said the number of children in foster care has risen even since she last spoke to the committee in August — mainly because of opioids.

Watts said approximately 82 percent of children in foster care are there because of parents with substance abuse-related issues, such as an overdose or prescription drug abuse.

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