Drug Addicts To Prove ‘Child-Caring Capabilities’ By Clearing Drug Tests

This is a litmus test, for drug addicts, to check out if they really have the potential to care for their children - They will need to tide over drug tests to prove their child rearing and caring capabilities.

This idea is being chewed upon by Peter Peacock, the children's minister, who is mulling over the thought of drug tests that might hold a clue to how the drug addict might turn out as a parent and whether children would be really safe. This is part of the effort by the ministers to help out vulnerable children.

A distinguished person from the Association of Directors of Social Work had brought up this issue with Mr Peacock. An Executive spokeswoman said: 'They raised it with ministers and it's something that ministers are seriously looking at. Officials are looking at how this could be practically implemented.'

The association's child and family care committee's chairwoman, Bernadette Doherty had a meeting with Mr Peacock and she said 'I think we share concerns about what is happening to children. We know there is a rising population of children living with drug-addicted, chaotic parents and he was interested to know what we thought would help from a social work perspective.'