[mamae]

So... there is this 3yo little girl. Mom already lost older sis (who was taken away and adopted by foster mother).

Kid is not physically abused. She has no behavior issues (at least not in school) so we do not believe she has been emotionally abused (could have been though).

Kid comes to school every day starved! Really... to the point she searches around for food everyday at arrival. She also is very thirsty (drinks LOTS of water). We actually thought maybe she is dehydrated and asked mom if would take to the pediatrician but mom refuses saying she is fine.

Kid also comes to school disgustingly dirty. Smelly. Dirty clothes, dirty hair. Other kids have commented. Hair no brushed. Even grass there was on her hair today when she arrived.

BUT even though teacher hotlined 3 times, nothing chances. NOTHING. Today the nurse had to hot-line again. The kid has been smelling every day worst and we asked mom last Friday to give her a bath, mom didn't respond, and kid still dirty. she still has washable paint on her knee from last Friday work. NO ONE CAN STAND CLOSE TO HER SOOO BAD SHE SMELLS.

We have done home visits to her home and... all I can say is that I cannot think it is healthy for a dog to live there. dirty, smelly, what looks like years of garbage laying around... case of health,

It is sad.

So my first question is: When is social worker going to do something? remove the kid, or make mom change? or supervise closely?

Second: in a case like this (neglect but not necessarily physical abuse) what comes in the mom plan to keep the child? How do they verify mom is doing a better job and: bathing her kid occasionally, brushing hair, keeping house clean, feeding dinner???

[DreamingAzure]

Not sure what state you are in...but here in Texas there would be manditory home visits on a weekly and then monthly basis to check for cleanliness, sanitation, and general well being. I know in some cases the SW asked the school nurse or the child's teacher to email on a weekly(or daily) basis about the hygene status....usually this is an "at home" service, and the child is not removed from the home...BUT if there is neglect as in the child has not been feed and is malnourished then they might remove.

I would call and talk to a supervisor at CPS and find out what they suggest!

[Kat-L]

Originally Posted by DreamingAzure

I would call and talk to a supervisor at CPS and find out what they suggest!

I agree. The poor little girl. I would definately see if there is a way for your school to provide her with breakfast in addition to lunch so you know she's eating at least twice a day. Maybe send a snack home in her bookbag. I know it's not the school's responsiblity but it breaks my heart to think about her going hungry.

I would also put a brochure for WIC in the child's backpack. Maybe Mom is really short on cash. With WIC, she will at least have peanut butter, eggs, milk & cereal in the house for the little girl. Maybe ask the mom if she needs help and direct her to a food pantry in the community. Or maybe pick up some items from a food pantry and send them home with the little girl. (along with some bubble bath?)

Child welfare should be monitoring the home to make sure the child is cared for. Everyone has different standards when it comes to "clean". My sister gives her kids two baths a day (morning & night). For me, it's every other day in the winter, every day in summer. But there are certain standards that everyone must adhere to-and no child should smell badly. And it's not like the poor little kid can help herself. I would encourage the other kids to be kind. It's not like the little girl can help her situation.

Can you wash her hands & face when she comes in? Comb her hair? Maybe see if someone can pick up some clean clothes at a thrift store and have her change. When mom picks her up, say the child was self concious and the other kids were commenting on her dirty face and clothes so you had her change. I don't know if that's allowed-but the mom needs a wake-up call.

[greenrobin]

Drinking so much could also be a sympton of diabetes.

Keep hotlining it. In TX the department has 24 hours to respond to a call. That does NOT mean that they have to go out there. It just means that they have to look at it and make a decision.

If you call repeatedly from school, eventually there will be a visit. Considering that there is an older sib who is no longer in mom's home, there should also be some response soon.

It is important to DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. When you call, report dates, times, and condition. Also report that the nurse is asking for medical intervention and mom is denying--that's medical neglect. And, I'm sure you know, that school officials are required by law to report.

I know it's frustrating. The wheels turn so slowly sometimes. But keep doing it. Also ensure that mom is aware of free or reduced price meal availability during the school year--she may need it. If the police are willing, they might do a health and welfare check on the family. If it's as bad as you say, they'll make the call to CPS and something will get done.

[mamachell]

Sometimes if the director or principal of the school/daycare calls they can get things moving. You might also see if there is some way to directly call the police instead of DCFS. It definately seems like neglect at the very least. I work on a school site and if this were brought to my attention I would definately be concerned.

[stevenstwin]

It could take a while and they might be working on the case. Neglect is much harder to prove than abuse - and vague things like the home being too dirty or the child being unclean are SO common they are a lot harder to act on quickly.

[Mom2blessings]

In our state, caseworkers can NOT remove a child unless they have a court order...only a police officer can do an emergency removal. So calling the caseworker may not get her removed anyhow. Some states have different laws, so caseworkers do have the authority to remove the children. You'll have to check out the laws in your state.

In my experience, when a child is removed for neglect, they usually order parenting classes, and then try to find the "root" of the problem and fix that. For instance, if parents are out of work, they recommend different things they can do in order to get a job. They will go over their finances with them, and help them understand how much money they have going out and coming in, so that they can understand realistically what they need to do in order to provide for the child.

These parents may not have running water at home....that may be why she's not getting bathed. If they don't have running water due to not having a job, then you can see how difficult the situation is for them. (Be careful you don't assume they have family or some other source they could use...not everyone does! Sad but true.)

As for the garbage, hopefully, parenting classes will be enough to scare them and educate them about parenting.

HTH,

Originally Posted by mamae

So... there is this 3yo little girl. Mom already lost older sis (who was taken away and adopted by foster mother).

Kid is not physically abused. She has no behavior issues (at least not in school) so we do not believe she has been emotionally abused (could have been though).

Kid comes to school every day starved! Really... to the point she searches around for food everyday at arrival. She also is very thirsty (drinks LOTS of water). We actually thought maybe she is dehydrated and asked mom if would take to the pediatrician but mom refuses saying she is fine.

Kid also comes to school disgustingly dirty. Smelly. Dirty clothes, dirty hair. Other kids have commented. Hair no brushed. Even grass there was on her hair today when she arrived.

BUT even though teacher hotlined 3 times, nothing chances. NOTHING. Today the nurse had to hot-line again. The kid has been smelling every day worst and we asked mom last Friday to give her a bath, mom didn't respond, and kid still dirty. she still has washable paint on her knee from last Friday work. NO ONE CAN STAND CLOSE TO HER SOOO BAD SHE SMELLS.

We have done home visits to her home and... all I can say is that I cannot think it is healthy for a dog to live there. dirty, smelly, what looks like years of garbage laying around... case of health,

It is sad.

So my first question is: When is social worker going to do something? remove the kid, or make mom change? or supervise closely?

Second: in a case like this (neglect but not necessarily physical abuse) what comes in the mom plan to keep the child? How do they verify mom is doing a better job and: bathing her kid occasionally, brushing hair, keeping house clean, feeding dinner???

[laceyc]

Originally Posted by greenrobin

Drinking so much could also be a sympton of diabetes.
.

Eating a lot and weight loss can be a sign of diabetes as well...so maybe she is getting fed at home but has some other health issue going on.