All too often, neglected and abused children are raised by parents who are under great stress from experiences in their childhood or more recent incidents. The father knew he was mistreating his children. Nothing seemed right in his world and he misused alcohol to try to stop the pain.
A DHHS family services specialist worked with him and took the situation to the local community’s collaboration group. There, other community organizations provided additional useful information and DHHS gave him appropriate services to address his needs. The family is happier and Dad continues to make progress on his challenges.
Additional stories of hope are listed below.
Finding Safety within a Family
The court said the parents could not contact each other due to domestic violence. But, it happened anyway, and an infant was severely injured by the father. Also, the home wasn’t habitable. For the safety of the infant and a sibling, they were removed from the home. DHHS followed up with relatives to find a safe placement.
Fortunately, they located a close relative who immediately called for assistance from her church and community. In short order, the relative was able to care for the children through the donation of a crib, diapers and other supplies.
Providing pathways of hope. That’s what we do.
Family Reunited and On the Road to Recovery
Love surmounts distance no matter how far away. As soon as DHHS informed the father living on the coast that his wife was jailed for felony child abuse, he boarded a plane and flew back to Nebraska. The children were quickly placed with him that same day. The next week, discussions with the family resulted in agreement that the father would ensure the safety of his children. A judge dismissed a petition to terminate parental rights. The family joined him, and the mother is receiving treatment. Quick action on the part of DHHS, the county attorney, the courts and the father kept the family together and placed them on the road to recovery.
Providing pathways of hope. That’s what we do.
By the bootstraps
The brothers and sisters saw something that children never should see; the death of a sibling.
Mom needed to make changes to ensure the safety of her children. In the meantime, her children were placed safely with a close relative.
Mom wanted her children back home but her situation had to improve. The case worker lined up parent training, therapy for her and the children and several other services. Mom found a full-time job and held onto it to show that she was a responsible provider.
It took some time, but with the help of DHHS and its service providers, Mom proved she could safely care for her children and sustain a lifestyle that would provide her and her children a better chance at life. Her children are now home where they should be living in a safe and loving environment.
Providing pathways of hope. That’s what we do.
Making a home safe
Failure to thrive. In the field of child welfare, it means a child has poor physical growth due to neglect. When the DHHS case worker arrived at the home, it was obvious the baby wasn’t receiving enough food. Making matters worse, the home was in disarray with rotten food, trash and feces on the walls and floors.
The worker located other family members. Together, they worked out a plan with the parents to make the home safe for their children. In the meantime, it was agreed the children would stay with a close relative until the apartment was safe and in a livable condition.
All agreed to a safety plan. Everything is going well, and DHHS continues to monitor the situation.
Providing pathways of hope. That’s what we do.
Just wanted to hear she could do it
The child put up a brave front, but the worker saw there were more challenges in the youth’s life than appeared in court. The worker lined up a number of evaluations. During that time, she encouraged the youth by pointing to unused potential. The help the child received and the positive attention from the worker began to make a difference. Grades improved and the youth met all requirements set by the court. The case was closed.
Months later, the worker stopped at a sandwich shop for lunch. As she was leaving, she heard, “I know you!” It was the youth she had helped. Running from the other side of the counter, the youth hugged the case worker.
Happily, life at home was much better and the job was also helping. The youth paused and then said the future looked bright for the first time in life. The youth thanked the worker for providing a positive influence exactly when it was needed. No one had ever said that to the youth before.
Providing pathways of hope. That’s what we do.
A cookie is worth a thousand words
“Thank you” stated the words on the cookies presented to the case worker. With the teen hugging her, and siblings lovingly wrapping their arms around the case workers legs, the teen said, “Thanks for not giving up on me.”
The thanks were well deserved. The teen had been involved with the courts for shoplifting. To make matters worse, the teen was keeping bad company, which resulted in truancy, increasing law violations and trouble at home. The case worker set up a treatment plan with goals to achieve. She also arranged individual and family therapy that taught the teen how to apply therapy to everyday life.
Unannounced drop-ins by the case worker went well except for one instance when the teen was again in the company of others who were a bad influence. House arrest was ordered. The teen and case worker completed a plan to avoid those who would cause the teen trouble.
Soon, the teen was building positive relationships and gaining self-confidence. Not once did the teen test positive for drugs and family relationships significantly improved. “And, thanks for pushing me to be better,” the teen said. For the case worker, no cookie ever tasted better.
Providing pathways of hope. That’s what we do.