Families

Next Steps

Ruff asked the mother about possible family placement options for the baby.  What about her father?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Ruff asked the mother about possible family placement options for the baby.  What about her father?

The mother brightened when she realized her baby might get to be with the family, instead of in foster care.  

However, the young woman looked confused when Ruff explained she would probably not be immediately allowed to live in her father’s house with the baby or be her son’s caretaker. Instead, the Juvenile Dependency Court would probably order that the mother only be allowed supervised visits.

 She showed Tom a photocopied list of treatment programs she had already started calling, trying to demonstrate that she had a plan to get help. She hoped to attend a residential program that allows mothers to recover and care for their children at the same time.   

“How quickly do you think I can get my son back?” she asked again.

Ruff paused, trying to think of another way to get the woman to understand her situation. A Juvenile Dependency judge would unite her with her child only when she could show her home was safe and she was unlikely to use drugs again. Distracted by the immediate pain of her situation and only worried about getting her son back, the mother apparently did not yet understand she would have to do difficult work to overcome her addiction first.

My concern is you have a drug addiction, you have a disease.
-Tom Ruff, child protective services worker

“It’s not necessarily speed over quality,” Ruff replied. “On Wednesday (at the court hearing) I’ll make a recommendation. If you get into the program and you’re doing well, and you progress, then we’ll see. My concern is you have a drug addiction, you have a disease.”

After Ruff interviewed the baby’s father and both grandmothers, he inspected the house. Upstairs, the parents’ bedroom had been prepared for a baby. There was a Gracco stroller, a crib and, in the closet, a long row of teeny Carter’s clothes on hangers with the tags still attached.

“We spent about $700 on this stuff,” the sad and slightly ashamed sounding father told Ruff.

Next: Some Good News Before the Court Hearing