jess dis 2

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Week 2 Case Studies

Case #1 Hannah is a 3-year-old girl with no siblings who lives with her biological parents in a second- story apartment. Both parents work full-time jobs. Hannah came to the attention of the apartment complex manager when the tenant below the family complained that water was leaking through the ceiling. The apartment complex manager went to the upstairs apartment to investigate and found Hannah locked in a bathroom and handcuffed to the plumbing pipes. She had turned the water on in the bathtub, flooding the room. The apartment complex manager contacted the police, who came to the scene, unlocked the handcuffs, and referred the case to Child Protective Services (CPS). Hannah was taken to a temporary shelter by CPS, who notified her parents of this. Both parents were very responsive, left their jobs immediately, and drove to the shelter to be interviewed by CPS. The preliminary CPS investigation revealed the following: Heather seemed to be a happy child who readily engaged with the investigators. She had no signs of physical abuse, but did show some moderate signs of malnutrition and dehydration. She appeared to be delayed in meeting developmental milestones in all areas except motor skills. She expressed only one-word utterances and appeared to be at an 18-month-old developmental level. Her parents were forthright with the investigators and admitted handcuffing and locking Hannah in the bathroom. They reported that they had been doing this for over a year, because they did not know what else to do with her while they were at work. They did not have enough money for childcare, but both needed to work in order to pay their bills. Neither parent had a criminal record, and there had been no previous reports of child maltreatment.

Case #2 Tony is a 10-year-old boy living with his mother and her male partner, Hank, in a rural area in a trailer that is rented by his mother. Hank has two children, ages 3 and 7, who visit 1–2 times per week, but do not spend the night. These children are in the custody of their mother. Tony’s mother works intermittently as a part-time motel maid, while Hank occasionally works construction jobs. Tony came to the attention of Child Protective Services (CPS) after the police arrested Hank at the trailer for illegally manufacturing methamphetamine. He was taken into custody, and Tony was taken to a temporary shelter by CPS until his mother could be notified. The mother responded by immediately going to the shelter to be interviewed by CPS. The preliminary investigation revealed the following: The mother and Hank had been living together for two years in the trailer. There were no previous reports of child maltreatment, but Hank was on probation and had an arrest record that consisted of possession of illegal drugs. He had been making methamphetamine in the trailer kitchen and selling it. The mother denied knowledge of this, but since drug production paraphernalia was in full sight in the kitchen, her denial was suspect. The mother had been arrested about five years prior for drug possession charges that were later dropped. Tony appeared to have no signs of physical or emotional abuse. Preliminary developmental screening reflected that he seemed to be functioning like a normal 10-year-old. He was cooperative with investigators and answered all of their questions. He reported that Hank had shown him how to pour stuff into a glass bottle (beaker), then he would watch as Hank heated this over a fire. Law enforcement investigators reported that the “meth lab” in the family’s kitchen was extremely dangerous and at risk of blowing up. Hank’s punishment was unknown at the time of the CPS preliminary investigation, but it is likely that he will be detained in jail to face charges for methamphetamine production and sales. The mother intends to continue living in the trailer with Tony.