The number of children in Muskingum County Adult and Child Protective Services is growing, and substance abuse is playing a larger role than in previous years.

Nine out of 10 cases that MCACPS deals with concerning neglect and abandonment involves some kind of substance abuse. Meaning, in 90 percent of the cases seen by the agency where a parent is reported neglecting or abandoning their child, the parent is abusing drugs or alcohol. In 2015, with the same stipulations, six of 10 cases involved a type of substance abuse, according to statistics provided by MCACPS.

“Muskingum County Adult and Child Protective Services has designed and built a drug and alcohol assessment and interdiction unit to keep up with the burgeoning demand and to ensure services are offered in a timely, professional manner,” Executive Director David Boyer said in an email statement.

From 2010 to 2013, roughly 90 children came into the agency’s custody each year on average. From 2014 to 2017 the average jumped to 135 children per year.

Boyer went on to explain that the agency has added four new positions to its staff in order to combat the influx of cases seen, including three additional caseworkers and one family stability worker who helps with drug and alcohol assessments, monitoring child and family visits among other tasks.

The number of children in the agency’s custody between 2011 and 2013 was in the thirties. Last year, that number spiked into the nineties. As of July 1, the agency had 114 children in paid custody placements.

Paid custody placements include children who are placed in foster homes or child residential centers.

MCACPS works diligently to place children involved in the cases seen with a relative instead of sending them into paid custody placements. In cases where children are not able to be placed with a relative, the agency does everything possible to keep the child local.

“Our Protection and Permanency Unit continues to work very hard and very effectively at ensuring that children who need placement services can be placed safely in a home in their own community with as little disruption to their lives as possible,” Boyer said.

From 2011 to 2014 the total substitute care costs equated to $940,000 per year for all children in MCACPS’ care. From 2015 to 2017 the bill escalated to 1.45 million per year. The costs are estimated to total 1.9 million by the end of 2018.

“There are many families that are in total crisis in our community and the numbers are absolutely staggering as evidenced by outcome data,” Boyer said. “A child protection system that was already under unspeakable duress has been further tested due to the vast numbers of children and families needing and deserving of our assistance and because of the intensity and severity of the presenting problems being faced by those same families.”