From the Center for Health Journalism: As the nation’s opioid crisis escalates, children and families bear an overwhelming toll. More than one-third of children in foster care were removed from their homes because of parental drug use — almost triple the proportion a decade ago. Nearly 3 million children live with grandparents, other relatives, or family friends outside the foster care system, often due to parental addiction or death from overdose.
Many caregivers are over 60, barely getting by on fixed incomes, and thrown into childrearing with little warning. They frequently lack the resources and support services available in formal foster care.
This webinar will explore the psychological, financial and practical needs of families shattered by drug use, the long-term implications for a generation buffeted by grief and trauma, and ideas for reporting on the far-reaching damage of the opioid epidemic with nuance and sensitivity.
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. MT