[Wiskidsdv] ADVOCATE QUESTION: Protective Parent Suspicion of drug use

[Nicole Nemec]

Very often in our shelter there are clients struggling with addiction and
mental illness.  Too often drugs or alcohol are being used as a coping
mechanism to deal with the horrors of things that have happened to them.
What we do is pay attention to the children to see in what ways this is
affecting them.  Are they being cared for?  Is there an older sibling who
is seeing to their needs? Are they fed and clean?  What support structures
are in place to help mom through these difficulties?  Is there someone able
to help mom with respite care if she were to seek treatment?

If mom is doing the best she can with the tools she has been given the
likelihood of CPS coming in and taking those kids is pretty slim, and if
they did the chances of finding a place that could keep them together is
even slimmer.  We always look at what we can do to support the whole family
and if mom's drug abuse needs to be addressed then we talk with her about
our concerns and what we are seeing.  This is a hard conversation but if we
can form it right then we are letting her know we are not judging her
behavior simply offering her alternatives and assistance.

On Mon, Oct 5, 2015 at 8:50 PM, Cody Warner <codyw at endabusewi.org> wrote:

>
> > We are currently struggling with a in-shelter mother whom we are
> suspicious of drug use.
>
> > This individual is sick frequently, drifts in and out of
> awareness/consciousness when interacting with staff in the middle of the
> day, and behaves in a very manic (crawling out of her skin) way at various
> times throughout the day.
>
> > This individual has 6 children in-shelter with them and we have obvious
> concerns for this clients ability to care for them.
>
> > Within the scope of grant guidelines and confidentiality, how do others
> proceed accordingly to protect both the children and this individual.
>
> > What policy and protocols do other folks have in place to advocate for
> and protect children within the scope of grant guidelines?  How are other
> programs approaching child abuse and neglect amongst their clients?
>
> > How are you implementing protective procedures for children in the care
> of the non-offending caregiver that is using verbal, emotional, and
> neglectful tools to parent.
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-- 
*Nicole Nemec*
*Children's Program Coordinator*
Center Against Sexual & Domestic Abuse, Inc. (CASDA)
318 21st Avenue East
Superior WI, 54880
715-392-3136 ext 114 <715-392-3136%20ext%20112>
Fax 715-392-8463
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