dangerous situation for a child

LegacyUser

I have a friend in her mid twenties who is a mother to a child of 5 years of age.This girl lives in a nice house in a great area, she has a very well paid job and has never wanted for anything in her life as her family are quiet well off. The trouble is she got pregnant after having a one night stand and now seems to feel unfairly entitled to lead the life of a hedonistic party-loving 'twentysomething' despite the fact that she is a mother and has serious responsabilities.

The poor child is dumped on anybody who will 'put up with it' be it the Grandparents, Aunts, friends or friends of friends.This means the child only spends a few hours on a Saturday with his mother and she is usually still drunk/hungover during this time.

There are people in the house day and night drinking, smoking and often taking drugs when the child is only upstairs. The house is FILTHY dirty and the child is fed a diet of take-aways and crisps unless dinner is provided elsewhere. The poor little angel can be regularly heard shouting down the stairs 'mammy pleeeease be quiet!' at all hours of the morning when there could be 10-15 people having a piss up in the sitting room.

She has driven at 7am with the child in the car after staying up drinking vodka until 4am and she has a good few points at this stage for dodgy driving.

Some of her friends are very worried about her and about the child but don't know what to do as she just cuts you out at the slightest hint of you bursting the bubble...
Any advice?

Morag

If you think the child is at risk then make a report under the child welfare act to socail workers. Go to your local health clinic as ask to task to the social worker on call.
When you make a report they will call out to the house to make an assement.
They don't just take kids in care they work with families when things have gone wrong.

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/Find_a_Service/Children_and_Family_Services/Family_Support/

ABajaninCork

That's a great idea. I believe you can also make the report anonymously if you wish...

I wish you luck, and hope the poor little mite's situation improves soon.

kerryman12

Hi OP

Thats a terrible situation OP, I would hate to be faced with that dilema.

Sharrow wrote: »

If you think the child is at risk then make a report under the child welfare act to socail workers. Go to your local health clinic as ask to task to the social worker on call.
When you make a report they will call out to the house to make an assement.
They don't just take kids in care they work with families when things have gone wrong.

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/Find_a_Service/Children_and_Family_Services/Family_Support/

This is probably the most practical advise. The problem is that base on what we have seen in the past these organisations are not very effective.

One of the golden rules is never get between a child and their parents. I assume that her parents are aware of the situation?

All I can do is suggest you talk to them, and of course break the golden rule!!


best of luck

Chuchoter

I would also advise making an anonymous report, they only take children away when they are beyond the point of help in the home. Maybe a warning from the social worker would make her realize what she is doing, because as is, having loads of drunk randomers round the kid is an accident waiting to happen. He could injure himself by falling down stairs/burns and she'd never know because she'd be busy with her friends