Maria has been battling cocaine addiction for a long time. Sometimes she manages to stay clean. But then something happens and she just has to get high. In fact, she was so high on crack a few years ago that she didn’t even realize she was in labor when she was getting ready to give birth to her second son. He was born premature, and drug-addicted. Just like her first baby was. Maria wants to do better, but it all just seems too hard.
In cases like this, the Administration for Children’s Services often calls on Family Consultation Service’s Family Rehabilitation Program to help in certain underserved communities in Brooklyn and Queens.
To place the substance-abusing parent or guardian into a drug program, while ensuring that the children are safe in the home.
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The Strategy An intensive three-times-a-week home visitation schedule, home-based help and support for the parent in drug treatment, random testing, making sure that the children are receiving basic care, striving to keep the family together. The social workers also help advocate for the basic life services that can allow a parent to focus on recovery. These supports might include housing, medication, and childcare. In addition, there is also a need to advocate for entitlements that the families are eligible for, but are not receiving, such as rent subsidies, food stamps, Medicaid, and Child Health Plus insurance. |
The social workers also help advocate for the basic life services
. . . such as housing and childcare . . . that can help a parent focus on recovery. Sometimes, of course, foster care becomes necessary as the parent struggles with recovery. The Family Rehabilitation Program then helps the family reconnect, and learn to connect in new ways, when the kids come back home. There is no charge for Family Rehabilitation Services. Each case worker focuses on no more than 10 families at a time. Available: Brooklyn and Queens |
