(KIWA Staff Photo)Iowa (RI) — Iowa is the first state to qualify for federal funding of a foster-care diversion program aimed at helping parents of young children who are struggling with substance-abuse addiction and agree to receive in-home assistance.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says helping parents overcome addiction can help keep families together.
Under the plan, state social workers considering whether children under age six should be moved into foster care can instead offer in-home help to parents who volunteer. Families would receive three visits a week from a clinician trained in substance-abuse treatment who can also work with parents on their caregiving skills.
Kennedy announced the program Tuesday in Des Moines.
Kathryn Burgum, wife of Interior Secretary Doug Bergum and former First Lady of North Dakota, is a White House advisor promoting the initiative. Bergum has spoken openly about her two decades of alcohol addiction and her 24 years of recovery. She says the Iowa program’s emphasis on peer support along with professional counseling is important.
Governor Kim Reynolds, who has also spoken publicly about her own recovery from alcohol addiction, says the diversion program will be available to any parent of a child under six who asks for help, regardless of income.
Federal officials have approved Iowa’s plan, which will provide six months to one year of in-home substance-abuse treatment and parental counseling. State officials expect to begin implementing the program next spring and receive 60% federal reimbursement for its cost.
