FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Department of Health and Human Services announced new resources to make drug abuse treatment more affordable and accessible for families at risk of entering the foster care system.

HHS’ Administration for Children and Families will announce that three Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for Opioid Use Disorder meet eligibility criteria for Title IV-E, a federal funding program supporting families involved with the child welfare system.

The agency says expanding access to the medications will help parents get treatment for opioid abuse so families can stay together, limiting foster care placements and the trauma children experience when they’re separated from their families.

“When we deny parents access to affordable, effective treatment for opioid addiction, we tear families apart,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr said in a statement obtained by The Daily Signal.

“Using Title IV-E funding to provide life-saving medications keeps families together and moves our system toward recovery and prevention.”

States and tribes can now receive a 50% federal match to provide buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone to parents whose children are at imminent risk of entering foster care but can safely remain with their families due to access to the medications.

Parental substance use disorder is one of the leading causes of foster care placement. More than 400,000 children are currently in foster care, many not because of abuse, but because a parent is struggling with addiction.

The program allows states to include these medicines in their Title IV-E Prevention Program and claim federal reimbursement upon approval.

The expansion is in line with President Donald Trump’s Jan. 29 executive order, “Addressing Addiction Through the Great American Recovery Initiative.”

The move is also part of ACF’s “A Home for Every Child” initiative, which aims to achieve a foster home-to-child ratio greater than 1:1 in every state.

Preventing children from being separated from their families is a key to achieving this goal, according to ACF.

“At the Administration for Children and Families, we are cutting through the red tape that has kept effective opioid use disorder treatment out of reach for too many families,” Assistant Secretary for Family Support Alex J. Adams said.

“By fast-tracking these proven treatments, we are investing in effective prevention to give states powerful new tools to help keep families safely together.”

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