California lawmakers will consider a major overhaul this year of how the state cares for thousands of traumatized foster children, a sweeping effort to curb the excessive use of psychiatric drugs in the child welfare system.
Legislation to boost caregiver training, strengthen court oversight of prescriptions and give foster youth the right to alternative treatments is in the works in the state Senate to address problems revealed in this newspaper's yearlong investigation "Drugging Our Kids."
After years of growing concern -- but no legislative action -- new Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León said he is "optimistic that oversight will result in overdue reform."
Psychotropic drug use in foster care is "one of the top issues on the child welfare agenda this session," said Susanna Kniffen, policy director at the nonprofit Children Now advocacy group.
[For more of this story, written by Karen de Sá, go to http://www.contracostatimes.co...escribing-psych-meds]
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