Joseph Lansing
Joseph Lansing
Joseph Lansing is an 8-year-old child recently removed from his mother’s care following an abuse and neglect investigation. The child has been placed in foster care as the family caregiver who has custody of his sister was determined to not be an appropriate placement for the child. The patient recently made threats to bring a gun to school, later reporting having said this so he could see his mother who is incarcerated for six months which will be followed by inpatient substance abuse treatment.
Additional information which would be helpful in better assessing this case would include information about the child’s biological father: his presence in the child’s life at any time, his current condition and whereabouts, any relationship the child has had with his father. The availability of a substance abuse assessment on the mother may give a better framework for understanding the child’s current functioning: specifically what substances the child has been exposed to, was the child exposed prior to birth and, if so, to what. Finally it would be helpful to know more about the sister’s placement and the feasibility of visits between the child and his younger sibling as this could improve the child’s sense of security and alleviate some of his anxiety over being separated from family members (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2013).
A glaring problem I expect to encounter is a weakness on my part in understanding substance abuse issues. The mother has been identified as having substance abuse issues as evidenced by her being ordered for treatment. This may present a difficulty due to limited experience and understanding of the way substance abuse affects families. Additional support may be needed to understand the impact of the mother’s substance abuse on the child with particular attention to medical and psychological issues if the child was exposed to substances in utero.
References
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Sibling issues in foster care and adoption. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.
