Drug-exposed infant hospitalizations versus CPS reports

Mississippi State Health Department reported between 764 and 1,187 births requiring hospitalization due to maternal substance use each year from 2018-2022, but Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services only received between 211 and 318 reports for infants with prenatal substance exposure in those years. Of the IPSE reports CPS received, it only screened-in between 16% to 28% of cases. Screened-in indicates the children were the subjects of either a CPS investigation or alternative response. Screened-out children are those who did not meet the child welfare agency’s criteria for a CPS response. CPS did not report developing any plans of safe care or referrals to appropriate services in those years. CPS told Mississippi Today it does not track the number of IPSE cases it refers to law enforcement, but those referrals have led to three dozen felony convictions that Mississippi Today identified since 2018 — likely an undercount since there is no mechanism to track these prosecutions statewide.