Sample Case Study

Caseworker Connects Family to Resources

Discovering the Main Issue

About 5 years ago Debbie had the task of working with a family whose parents had allegations of abuse and neglect. The mother worked hard to provide for her daughters. The father was part of the girl’s lives. Mom and dad’s relationship was on and off.

Mom was the main caretaker and provider for the family. The father had a history of substance abuse issues primarily with Heroin.

As their case manager, it was my responsibility to see that the allegations were unfounded and assist the family with their needs.

When Debbie sat down to interview the family, it was clear the daughters loved both of their parents. 

In fact, they asked very specific questions about whether they would be removed from the house.

The parents were honest about their situation. It was clear they wanted their case closed and were willing to do what was necessary to make it happen.

Debbie: Are you using marijuana?

Mom: I have used it to help me sleep or distress. But I’m not using anything else.

Debbie: Are you about to get to your drug tests?

Mom: Because of my job and my car not working, it’ll be hard for me to get there by bus.

Debbie: Okay, I can pick you up on days where I am available or I can get you bus passes.

Mom: Yes! Thank you. That will help me.

Instead of telling this woman a flat No, she worked with her, in order to help her get out of the current situation of having an open case.

But as life would have it, more information became available once we learned of dad’s lengthy history with drug abuse and mom’s drug tests were negative.

Debbie: What about dad’s history with drugs?

Mom: He’s struggled with Heroin for over 10 years.

He became the main person of interest in the case. Dad having access to the girls unsupervised was a concern.

Battling Substance Abuse

“Throughout the first few weeks of the case, the dad was incarcerated on possession and other charges. He opened up to me during his visits in jail,” Debbie said.

“Working with people who have a history, live apart and share children can be a tedious task. You want to make sure both parents and the child(ren) are receiving what is necessary for their lives to improve,” said Deb.

“You learn to think on your feet especially when dealing with sometimes aggressive parents and the possibility of removing children from their homes,” said Debbie.

Finding the Proper Solution

While working this case and trying to narrow down what steps needed to be taken Debbie thought of these questions.

1. What can I do to help the parents?

2. Do the children need any assistance?

3. Will a removal occur?

Debbie said, “The girls declined wanting or needing to speak with a counselor and mom left the decision up to them. The girls were safe as long as mom was there and it became clear mom should file for sole custody to ensure the girl’s protection.”

As for assisting dad, Debbie considered many different places for substance abuse in-patient treatment. But in the end, dad, make the decision to enter into Maryville Addiction Treatment Center. Before choosing this facility, dad had tried previous treatment centers that did not provide the same security and anonymity from past acquaintances.

Closing the Case

Thanks to dad’s decision to attend in-patient treatment at Maryville, he started to make plans for the future. He began to see how life could be. He even wrote Debbie a kind letter expressing his gratitude.

“I knew that I had someone who was good and can make things happen, on my side! I thank you very much and I also appreciate you as well.”

Even though dad was on the road to recovery, mom also decided to file for full custody to ensure the girls were safe until their father could resume his parental duties.

Not only have people confronted their substance abuse issues because of Maryville Addiction Treatment Center but lives have changed forever.