MARSHALL COUNTY – There are nearly 600 children from the Lakes Region which have been placed and are currently living in out-of-home care, only 35 of which were entrusted to the care of a relative.
According to County Attorney Jeff Edwards, this is largely due to the fact that within many area families, addiction has a firm grip on several generations leaving only foster care options for children living in these difficult situations.
The average age of the 583 children placed by the state, upon their entry into foster care, is just 7.5 years old with nearly 100 of children being under the age of one.
Based on their averaged ages, these children have already spent one-third of their lives in protective care, time that will certainly shape who they become as adults.
This begs the question, how is multi-generational addiction affecting our society and community right here at home and what can be done about the devastating consequences destined to fall on our next generation?
The Lakes Region encompasses 17 counties including Marshall. Edwards says he sees first-hand the effects of multi-generational addiction, “more often than not.”
“The trend, like I have said many times, is that it seems ‘normal’ for a certain portion of our society to lose custody of their children at some point – it’s like us having chicken pox when we were little, it’s just one of those things that they expect is going to happen.”
Edwards said complicating matters even more is the fact that often times during custody hearings, family members will appear in an attempt to have the child placed with them, but upon further review, it is determined that they are also not fit.
“We see them come into court and they are under the influence and can’t pass a drug screen or have just gotten out of jail- maybe even had their own children taken away,” he said. “I have been here for 19 years now, and I am seeing children removed from people who were taken away from their parents as children. I have even seen it in the third generation.”
Years ago, Edwards says it was just he and Assistant County Attorney Lisa Carter who handled these types of cases. He recalls the typical case load was one per-month.
“Now we go every Friday and we have at least 15 or 20 removal hearings on the docket.” Edwards said while the reasons range, most often, the primary parent or both parents have been incarcerated in jail, or parents have been charged with neglect/abuse.
“Sometimes the family will step in and say enough is enough,” Edwards said of family members who are often forced to take on the role as parents, seeking emergency custody. “It’s harder and harder these days to get them medical services or enrolled in school if you are not the primary custodian.”
Edwards said children are also immediately removed in cases where active meth labs are found or where parents have tested positive for illegal substance abuse. 
The strain to social services, in a time where funding for such programs is on the decline, is enormous. “We see a large turnover in social services,” Edwards adds, “but we are very fortunate here in Marshall County where we have several case workers who have been there a long time and are very dedicated – they are always prepared when we go to court. It certainly makes this difficult job easier.”
Of how the cycle of abuse seemingly has continued to escalate, Edwards points to one primary culprit.Methamphetamine is a problem of course, but prescription medication is the real monster.”
Easy accessibility and a cultural acceptance of prescription narcotics has changed society as a whole. “Just a few years ago, before there was the per-say law regarding DUIs, people would argue that it was OK to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of these narcotics because it was prescribed, even though it was clearly stated otherwise on the bottle.”
He notes that easy access to state lines where there is the ability to obtain multiple narcotics prescriptions under the radar has been one of the primary factors in the epidemic of addiction that continues to spiral out of control.
Of how this ultimately affects the real victims –the children, Edwards compares the fragile nature of a child to that of a kitten or puppy. “They just seem to adapt. They can go from being in a very bad situation and being somewhat happy to being placed – basically with strangers, and quickly learning to be happy because they are clean and fed and on a regular schedule being treated as a child should be. You often see results in school where the children are no longer acting out.”
However – early learned habits and behaviors take their toll and unfortunately Edwards says it’s often the early trauma that encourages the cycle of addiction to continue. Simply being aware of the problem is half the battle,” he maintains.
“Most groups I speak to about this have no idea this is even going on – especially not in Marshall County,” Edwards says. While these court hearings are closed from the public, the effects of their outcome take an emotional and financial toll on the entire community.
“You just have to be aware. If you know someone and you suspect they have a problem, or their children are not being taken care of, make sure you take time to gather the facts and speak with a member of law enforcement or contact social services,” he said.
Admittedly, abuses of the system and false reporting slow down the process for those who legitimately need help, but Edwards points out that simply opening a conversation with a member of law enforcement could provide crucial information in a situation where there is already suspected neglect or abuse.
“I see it every day – people come into court who I have known for years that I hardly recognize because of the abuse they have put their bodies through – it can be shocking.”
For the hundreds of children living in homes where addiction has taken over, officials like Edwards and social workers are often one of their first lines of defense. Of the nearly 600 children in foster care in the Lakes region, less than half are even listed as having the goal of reunification with a parent.
For more information on foster care statistics in the Lakes Region, see http://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/67FBB14D-6C33-4187-8CE5-9D98DCF9F33E/0/TheLakesFosterCareFACTSApril2015.pdf.
To find out how you can help overcome the shortage of certified foster care homes in the county and become a foster parent, click here: http://chfs.ky.gov/dcbs/dpp/regionalfosterandadoptionnumbers.htm