Resident urges kinship care for children affected by parental substance use

A resident at a public meeting urged officials to prioritize kinship care for children who cannot remain with their parents because of substance use disorder, saying that keeping children with relatives reduces the trauma of entering foster care.

The resident said, "So many of the youth and families who require the services of foster care have come to our attention due to substance use disorder," and cited personal experience working with families to support kinship placements. They argued that kinship care allows children to live with someone they already know and love and can mask the disruption of entering foster care: "a child to, you know, enter into the system, go live with grandma, and then never really realize that they were in foster care."

The resident framed kinship care as a research-backed option that can lessen harm for children when parents are unable to provide care, saying, "If they can't be with their parents, then a child should be with somebody else that they know and who loves them and they love." The remarks focused on the experience of children and families affected by parental substance use rather than any specific policy proposal or funding request.

No formal action or vote on the topic was recorded in the provided transcript.