W#10 FAMILY TREATMENT PLAN (PSYCHOTHERAPY)

FAMILY INFORMATION:	FAMILY CASE STUDY
Father	Jerry Floyd	Age:	32
Mother	Skipper Floyd	Age:	32
Child	Jerry Floyd, Jr.	Age:	15
Child	Mary Floyd	Age:	11
Child	Ralph Floyd	Age:	8
Child	Milton Floyd	Age:	6
Child	Lori Floyd	Age:	1 yr. 8 mos.

FAMILY HISTORY

Jerry and Skipper Floyd have been married since 1993. They met in high school. Skipper was pregnant with Jerry Jr. at the time of their marriage during Skipper’s 11th grade year. They remain legally married and have continued to live together, until recently when Skipper moved out of the home on February 14, 2017. Skipper is 10 weeks pregnant with the couple’s 6th child, and decided to leave the relationship due to Jerry’s ongoing volatile outbursts and escalating physical altercations towards Skipper. Skipper recently began an addiction recovery outpatient residential program and will be staying in the sober house while the 5 children remain at home with Jerry.

Family Presentation:

On February 17, 2017 at 11:30pm, it was reported to local law enforcement that two young children were observed walking along a secondary highway, toward a small town in rural Oregon. They were six miles from town, having walked a distance of approximately one mile from their home. Law Enforcement officials picked up the children, who were identified as Mary and Ralph Floyd, ages 11 and 8. The children were cold, frightened, dirty, and soaking wet. It had been raining lightly that evening. They reported that they were running away from home because their father was “drunk” and “high” and was “tearing the house apart”. A call was made to the Division of Child Protective Services and the police and a social worker immediately made a crisis visit to investigate the home.

As a result; Lori, Milton, Ralph, Mary, and Jerry Jr. were taken into emergency protective custody early in the morning on February 18, 2017. The children were placed into three different foster homes throughout the county, which spans a 100-mile radius. o98

After a thorough investigation of the home of Jerry Floyd, the following allegations were substantiated and subsequently adjudicated:

· Jerry Jr., Mary, Ralph, Milton and Lori have been subjects of physical neglect including lack of food, lack of supervision and unsafe living conditions.

· Methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and 45 empty beer cans were found lying on the coffee table at the time law enforcement entered the home. Jerry Floyd Sr., was passed out on the couch asleep

· Mary, Ralph, and Milton report having witnessed their Mother and Father using drugs and becoming intoxicated to the point they could not adequately supervise or provide care for the children on numerous occasions. There is evidence that Jerry Jr. has often walked a quarter mile to the neighbors reporting they he and his siblings were locked out of their house and asking if he and his siblings could stay at their house and have something to eat.

· Jerry Floyd is reported by Mary and Ralph to have hit their mother numerous times in the recent past, giving her black eyes, and kicking her stomach. He has hit her in the face and made her nose bleed numerous times. Skipper Floyd was observed by law enforcement to have deep scratches on her face and a bruise under her eye at the time the children were taken into emergency protective custody.

· Milton Floyd (age 6) has reported to the Children’s Division investigator that Jerry Jr. does “bad” things to Mary and Lori. Milton will not further elaborate on what “bad” things happened.

· Milton refers to as “bad” things being done to his sisters by Jerry Jr. Mary denies any abuse of any kind by her older brother. She will only say that she does not like him and she wishes her Mommy would move back home. She becomes withdrawn when questioned any further. She and her siblings are receiving therapy at this time to assist them in dealing with the stress of being separated from their Mother, assisting them to adjusting to their new living situation, and in helping sort out what has happened to them. The Children’s Division is hopeful that the therapist will be able to develop a relationship of trust and that more can be learned about the extent to which the children were abused/neglected.

Floyd Family Case Study

· Jerry Jr. is also very protective of his mother and will say very little about what happened in the home. He has talked about his father “beating my Mom” and that he hates him. The children all miss their mother and worry about her. Their paternal grandfather has taken the children to visit her at the shelter once.

Legal History

· Jerry Floyd has been arrested twice on domestic assault charges alleged by Skipper over the past 5 years. He was never charged due to refusal of his wife to testify against him. Jerry Sr. has been incarcerated three times for petty theft, vandalism and drugs. He has been sober for sixteen months after completing court ordered drug treatment when he was arrested for possession of cocaine. However, since Skipper moved out of the home, he recently slipped back into using substances daily. Jerry Floyd Sr. was arrested and placed in county jail on February 19, 2017. He remains in jail awaiting trial on charges of criminal child abuse and neglect and possession of drugs.

· Skipper Floyd is also being investigated for report of child abuse and neglect, but remains living in the sober house at this time. The Children’s Division is continuing to learn more about the abuse that the children were subjected to, although it has not been determined as to what extent the children witnessed abuse.

· Skipper was court ordered for addiction recovery treatment due to public drunkenness at the children’s school concert. She has had past involvement with DCF and accusations of child neglect related to similar incidence. She has been arrested once for an OUI and spent the night in the county jail 2 years ago. This incidence was the catalyst for her beginning treatment for her alcohol use.

Concerns of the Children’s Division

· During a recent home visit, the children division social worker observed Skipper’s parenting of the children to determine if it was safe for the children to be placed back home with her. They raised concerns regarding the discipline style and tendency to become overwhelmed with the needs of her children. The run down condition of the home and yard, the turbulent and unstable relationship between Jerry and Skipper, the substance abuse issues, history of violence in the home, psychological stress and guilt experienced by Mary and Ralph for having told the police what was occurring in their home, anger at Mary and Ralph from Jerry Jr. for having “told on Mom”, and the emotional strain of being separated from their mother.

· Skipper wants to have the children placed with her at home and is open and communicative about the fact that she does need assistance and support in raising them. While the children have been in foster care, Skipper has had two overnight visits with the children. She admits that he gets frustrated that the children “don’t mind” her. Skipper’s parenting style is to be permissive for a period of time until the children become so out of control that she screams at them or uses corporal punishment. She admits he has a short temper. She does appear to have a close bond with the children and they do with her.

· Jerry Jr. is given a great deal of child care responsibilities and he appears to be handling it well. When visiting their father, Jerry Jr. takes primary care of the children while his father and Valerie are at work. The grandfather is nearby if needed. The children are often found to be extremely dirty and running around barefoot in the yard. They do appear to be happy and well-fed, although meals are not always the most nutritionally sound. The children continue to be monitored by a pediatrician and therapist and except for Ralph, appear to be achieving developmental milestones and are inside normal ranges for their height and weight. The children have recently started seeing a therapist.

· The Floyd’s home is a ramshackle trailer that is set on property that has a yard full of discarded and broken machinery, chickens and roosters roam around, and there are numerous dogs. There is no grass and the yard is very rocky. The one bathroom in the home is extremely filthy. The plumbing sometimes does not work and the toilet is often backed up. The children report that they use “outside” as a toilet when this happens.

Prognosis & Recommendations

A family support team meeting has been scheduled. A decision needs to be made as to whether or not the children can be placed with their mother back in the family home. Everyone involved seems to have a different opinion. A Children’s Division licensing worker has conducted a home study on Jerry and Skipper and it is her recommendation that the children be placed with their mother on a 30-day trial home visit. The licensing worker is most concerned about Skipper’s capability to care for Lori, the youngest of the children, while pregnant and in treatment at an outpatient addiction recovery program. She feels that with the right support and guidance and Skipper can become successful at raising the kids. Jerry Floyd’s court date is set for next week to determine if he will be released from jail on parole.