The county division had to transfer funds in their budget to cover the cost of processing a much higher caseload than expected for the year.
As law enforcement steps up drug raids to disrupt distribution operations in the Lehigh Valley, one population has become an unwitting casualty.
The Northampton County Children, Youth and Families Division has had to place more children this year than in recent years, and officials believe the rise in drug raids has played a significant role. The department used $200,000 reserved for new furniture purchases to cover unexpected costs for the final quarter of the year.
"This is bucking all the trends we've seen for the past five or six years," said Kevin Dolan, director of Children, Youth and Families.
Patricia Himmelwright, assistant administrator of the division, said the department was making strides in reducing the number of children in its care early this year. There were about 194 kids in placement early this year and workers were able to whittle the number to 180 over the summer, Himmelwright said.
But come autumn, the number of children in need of placement skyrocketed to 242, she said.
In one September meth lab case, about 10 children at the home needed direction from Children and Youth and Families, according to authorities.
"This has been a striking increase for us," Himmelwright said. "Some of that very definitely comes from drug-involved households."
More fund transfers possible before year's end
Dolan must schedule his budget two years in advance for state funding and he originally estimated the county would need $5.5 million in 2014 to house children in foster care. However, the recent uptick in child placements has left the county spending $16,990.84 a day, or $6.1 million over the course of a year.
To help alleviate the problem, the state has granted permission for the division to transfer $200,000 originally intended for furniture at the new Human Services building into its operational account. If the numbers don't return to their normal level, Dolan said, he may have to transfer other funds as the year progresses.
"The safety of children comes first. It's my job to try to find the money to cover this. I tell my staff it's their job to make sure the children in the public are safe," he said.
Himmelwright explained that the drug-related caseloads are topping an already overwhelmed system. A federal judge ruled in August that Children and Youth Services in Montour County violated a parent's due process rights by ordering he be removed from his home when authorities believed an infant there had been abused.
Himmelwright said the ruling has offices around the state feeling pressure to process claims fast enough to ensure they're not infringing on guardians' rights, but with less information than some cases require, adding extra volume in the number of cases.
"I'm hoping, frankly, that the due process issue settles out and ... we get a little better direction," Himmelwright said. "But I think the reality of these drug-related cases is that they're here to stay."
Special concerns for kids at meth labs
When authorities are preparing to serve a warrant or investigate a drug operation, police are always aware they might find children at the home. Easton police Lt. Matthew Gerould said authorities try to determine before a raid whether they believe there will be any juveniles, but that's not always possible.
"The first and foremost concern in the raid is the other people in the residence not involved in the drug operation," Gerould said. "It does create a different situation when there are children, absolutely."
Himmelwright said the department works hard to try to place children with family or friends they're familiar with and won't take children into county custody unless there aren't other safe options. Being present during a drug raid, Himmelwright said, can be a scary experience for a child.
"On one hand, the kids are resilient," she said. "But it's important that we understand that this can be a frightening experience for the kids."
Cpl. John Casciano, a leader of the Pennsylvania State Police Clandestine Laboratory Response Team, said he's seen more and more children at the scene of methamphetamine labs. Himmelwright said a significant number of kids she sees in the system have come from homes where meth labs were uncovered.
"We do see children, it seems like, a lot more than normal," Casciano said. "I've been in this business for a lot of years and with some of the other drugs you don't see kids all over the place like that."
In one case on Sept. 25 in Bethlehem Township, Pa., Casciano said, about 10 kids were found in a home where evidence of a meth lab was discovered in a pool house shed at the rear of the home.
Casciano said authorities did not believe all the children lived at the home, but they were present when police responded. Thomas Stocker, 28, and Dawn Stocker, 52, have been charged in the case.
Casciano said methamphetamine labs, potentially volatile operations, create special concerns for kids in the home.
"We don't know how long the child may have been subjected to any type of chemicals there," Casciano said. "We have to probably assume the worst."
Casciano said authorities take children for medical evaluations as a precaution since internal and external exposure to chemicals are a legitimate danger in such homes.
"We really don't know the long-term effects here," Himmelwright said. "We're learning as we go. I know more about meth labs than I ever really wanted to."
Casciano said he credits the dangerously addictive nature of methamphetamine and its relatively easy homemade production with the fact that there are more kids at such homes.
"I think it's the nature of the drug, of the addiction, where there's no remorse from the user. They're so addicted that that's all they care about," Casciano said. "It's tough to fight."