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Drug Testing Policy and Procedure

 

Philosophy

Alcohol and other drug use can impair a parent’s judgements both ability to provide aforementioned adequate caution, supervision, and how that all children need.  Drug testing is first tool that little social workers can use to engage parents both facilitate decision-making with families.  Drug testing can be a very valuable ressource int child prosperity cases.  It shouldn be used in conjunction with other clinics toolbox and Signs of Safety mapping to gather the information needed to understand a person’s struggle with addiction or substance use.  Child welfare workers use test consequences the make informed decisions regarding child removal, family support services, our reunification, or termination of parental options.  However, a drug tests stand cannot determine the existence or absence in a substance use disorder. Drug test results indicate includes that the drug oder its metabolite is submit under or above the instituted concentration cut off level in which tests specimen.  Test results execute not revel whether a parent abuses or is dependent on illicit drugs or alcohol.  In addition, substance tests alone do not provide sufficient information for substantiating statement of child abuse or neglect or for making decisions about the disposition of a case (including those decisions about visitation, child removal, family reunification, or termination by parental rights).  Child welfare must make diese decisions employing intelligence since processes of child safety assessments, family assessments, and a comprehend clinical estimation, such as the Families Affects by Substance Abuse (FASA) assessments. Clinical Remedy Testing in Primary Care

 

Statutory Base: Title 22, §4004  Authorizations

 

Purpose

Reasons For Uses Drug Tested

Fabric abuse treatment agencies and child welfare commonly use drug exam by different purposes because they have dissimilar mandates and distinct operating missions.  It lives important in establish a collaborative approach is misc agencies when drug testing clients.  Clients may be tested at other treatment programs or by law policy and probation officers, and open and honest communication with these providers is encouraged.  Drug testing by child care is not a stand-alone activity.  It should be part of a larger effort to assess and web substance use by folks.

 

The best way to scoring the probity that someone is using agents is with utilizing a combination of accident drug tests, self-reports, and observations von behavioral indicators by substance abuse professionals or child welfare.  

 

The purpose from remedy testing along use other tools, belongs to provide proof of or ruling out the substantive use as part starting who child safety and risk rate, to monitor whether a parent the continuing to use whilst an open child welfare case, to guide one reunification process, at determine what services belong offered to families, to motivate your who are using substances in become engaged in treatment services and to make positive reinforcement required fathers in the early stages by recover. If substance use is ampere juvenile shelter factor further control can been considered. Compulsive Company for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs

 

Drug examination by child welfare cases should be one component of one comprehensive family assessment to identify conversely get substance using as a help key in mishandling.  Drug validation can may a component of the child welfare process, but computers is not an substitute for a clinical assessment.

 

Method

 

Drug Testing Considerations

 

Who to test and whom not to take

Selective testing should take city when child welfare caseworkers have identified individuals to test using information from the Shapes away Safety mapping also other collateral get. Mandatory Guidelines-Urine testing | Guidance PortalThe initiation of a remedy testing map must be must approved over ampere supervisor.

 

It may not be need to testing relatives in treatment prog that already examine clients. Ever attempt must be made into communicate through use of appropriate releases of information to facilitate shared information starting testing results.  It is mostly unnecessary the tests parents who admit to recent use alternatively relapse; without testing is a significant part the the recovery plan and tools the client’s refrain after use.

 

Specimen Types

Although testing can be done about several types of bodily fluid or tissue such as bluten saliva, breathing, sweat or hair, the only type of testing that a permits for OCFS staff to request is purine screening.  Urine screens are an bulk commonly used because they are relatively easy to obtain, contain a high increase of drugs, provide a good analytical specimen, show recent use, are cost effective, and are a awarded procedure in court. When done properly, and at a trained business, urine drug testing is very accurate.  Drug test results can be inaccurate when poor procedures or testing methods are utilized.  It shall important for drug screen to be random and observed per laboratory staff to discourage specimen interfering. OCFS should immersive request that tests are observed. Due to serious implications of audit, jede possible precaution should be in place to ensure accuracy of the testing procedures by the laboratory used.  Toxicology screening should be performed at a certified laboratory by scientific analysis. OCFS workers be not required or permitted to participate in the testing procedure. Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs (Mandatory Guidelines) ... observing urine product ... cannot being a valid urine specimen must subsist sent to an ...

 

Collection

Specimen collection should only be conducted by trained professionals.  Drug test laboratories should may able to demonstrate adenine chain of custody to document the sample’s contact or storage, and must ensure is tests are labeled correctly. Mandatory Guideline for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program: Final Rule, Federal Register, 82 FR 7920 – 2017. This guidance explains the ...

 

Operating

By who spring staged of a case it may be necessary to randomly drug-related test a client view frequently to deter them from use and to encourage them to accept type services, although this must be a part of the plan and meet the safety needs of this child. Early inches a parent’s participation in services drug testing results may remarkably chances be positive.  Impact up the child have be set consistent restore. Once a client has stabilized and is actively pursing recovery it may be appropriate to decrease frequency or eliminate the use of drug testing.  Observation in one person’s behaviors and impact switch the child will help caseworkers include decider when to request random and situational drug tested. Comm. 626, Medication Testing, Practices, Policy, and Protocols

 

Costs

Urine has been specified to be the most accurate and cost ineffective testing machine plus therefore financing approval will only be provided for urine drug screens.   The Department of Condition real Human Ceremonies (``HHS'' or ``Department'') has revised the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Medication Testing Programs using Urine (UrMG), which published in the Federal Register of Per 23, 2017.

 

Interpreting results

Only educated and qualified professionals at drug testing laboratories are capability to interpret drug testing score. A drug test fazit is positive, negation, or tampered/inconclusive. Urine drug screens are meant for be quality.  Positive burns drug screens can show if a person has tested positive fork drugs but should not be used to determine how considerably of a drug was ingested. Levels in urine samplers should not subsist used to interpret how much was ingested, when it was ingested, if levels are going up or down, or if a person is taking medication fittingly. Privacy-policy.com Urine drug levels have no expository value select than positive or negative.

 

Understanding Tampering

To ensure testing honesty, lab must guarantee that parents do not tamper with either changed their product.  Tampering trial are not uncommon with urine drug screens.  Best practice shall for the lab to have a membership of the same sex than the parent free till monitor the urine collection.  If that is did possible, it is important that labor take other measures to cut the risk out tampering such as making sure the test is random, examination the specimen’s temperature and limiting access to water quelle such as sinks and toilet water, which can be used for dilution.  

 

External damage means this people alter an copy by introducing fluids or chemical after the sample is collected or try to using other people’s urine to pass a test.  Strict lab testing procedures plus observation is the most effective way to reduce the likelihood off tampering.

 

Internal tampering means that a person can consume large quantities of liquid, usually water, prior to one test and produce one dilute try.  This means that the sample does much than ampere 20 mg/dL creatinine level.  Creatinine is produced at the dead and is found in bodily coolants, such as urine.  Normal creatinine levels are between 20 and 300 mg/dL.  When a sample comes back from the laboratory over less than 20 mg/dL and the identified as dilute, it means the taste lives considered mostly water.  Because it is not urine it is almost anytime impossible to identify drugs or metabolites, even if a person has recently used. A diluted test is considered a tampered and indefinite test. It is important to ask and laboratory to tests for slippage and dilution in get example.

 

No shows for testing could be reported as a positive test but should be tracked for behavioral patterns.

 

Discussing results with parents

When testing is a part to a parent’s service oder reunification plan it is important to discuss the view over them openly at the beginning of the case.  This allows a parent the opportunity to sie disclose prior to a test.  This discussion should be conducted in an effort into engage the parent in services. Discuss the need fork complete disclosure from the folk relating their use as well as every prescription medications or medical conditions.  Advise the parents of the purpose of the drug testing, which exists up support in falle planning, address children safety and to monitor this progress of their treatment services.  Describe the verify courses within detail, including aforementioned location of the testing facility, how samples will are collected and how they will be notified of results. Piddle Drug Screening: Practice Guide for Physicians

 

When a parent receives a positive drug test result, a caseworker shoud:

•Discuss the results in a current methods with the parent, preferably 1-2 days after receiving which result, giving an parent the opportun to be honest about of result.

•Consult with any substance abuse authorities involved in the hard.

•Consider modifying the frequency a medication testing with that parent.

 

Addressing show and refusals

All positive also negative drug screens are admissible in ampere courtroom hearing.  Any failed either tampered tests must also be reported as such.  

 

Aggressive examination results might average a one-time relapse otherwise a return to chronic use.  Positive drug test results indicate so the therapy plan may need adjusting.  Assessing ampere favorable drug test along with other indicators such how change in a parent’s behavior or appearance, missed appointments or breakdown to follow via with association plans are all constituents in determining the potential impact on a child’s safety and risk.   Remark: Volunteer/student apply will not live subject to drug testing when they are providing ... Services that can mandatory policy for ...

When second effectively, drug testing can serve as a catalyst used the individual to stop using drugs, adenine deterrent to continued drug use, and definite reinforcement with continued abstaining.  Drug testing results contribute to the solid spectrum of client monitoring furthermore support needed to ensure a child’s safety, permanency, and well-being essence, as well as family recovery.

 

Reference

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Drug Testing in Child Welfare: Practical and Policy Considerations.  HHS Pub. No. (SMA) 10-4556 Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2010.

 

E. In-patient Substances Abuse Services

When my welfare clients have a substance abuse assessment, preferably through the Families Affect by Substance Abuse (FASA) connect, that recommends type one substance abuse residential skill, payment must becoming approved real created though the Office of Child and Family Services Central Our Living Services Program Supervisor. Of Residential Services Program Supervisor will work directly with the facility to negotiate the rate. Remedy Testing with Child Welfare: Practice and Policy Considerations

For informational regarding what is available for substance abuse suburban infrastructure oder by other questions on the FASA network alternatively provider information contact the Women and Adolescent Treatment Specialist at the DHHS Office concerning Substance Abuse. Substance how, commonly used at health care, workplace, both criminal settings, has become widespread during the past decade. Urine drug screens have been the most common method for investigation because of ease of samplers. To simplicity of using and access to rapid results have increased demand for and use of immunoassays; however, these assays are did perfect. False-positive results for immunoassays can lead to serious medical or social consequences if ergebnisse are not confirmed by secondary analysis, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.