A very difficult situation-what to do?

Difficult situation Katek. the urge to intervene seems to increase as we get older, but we can only do what seems the best thing at the time.

Katek

One person's interfering old biddy can be another person's life-saver, Kate. It's not a comfortable thing to do, intervening when you know you could get criticism or name-calling, but who can live with not acting and finding out that something awful has happened?

Unsupervised, running beside a very busy main road when she could have run out into the traffic at any time and a mother walking into walls clearly under the influence of some substance be it drink or drugs, and you think that the child wasn't at some form of risk Jingl?

Maybe a lot of other kids are often in a similar situation but that doesn't validate it! Perhaps all those other kids also need some interfering old biddy like me to stand up for them.

It was not an easy decision to make on the spur of the moment and overcome our great British reluctance to get involved, but in all conscience I couldn't walk away. You weren't there to see it Jingl, I was. It was my call and I can only hope it was the correct one for all concerned.

I've lost count of the number of times I've seen very young children either walking or on scooters with no parent to be seen [they eventually appear, usually on the phone ]. Scares me witless if I'm driving past.; if I'm walking I brace myself to grab them if they look to be in danger.

I just hope they don't make the situation harder for the mum. Doesn't sound to me like the children were in any more danger than a lot of kids often are.

" gouching" short for "Oh I was a social worker. I know about these things"?

I hope people didn't use too much guesswork and speculation in their actual careers.

Nor have I. What does it mean?

Good point Jingl and I don't really have an answer. Possibly it was because she was so blonde it was that that first drew my attention to her. It just seemed part of the description/story somehow.

I don't know if the mother was off her face on alcohol or drugs but she certainly wasn't in any fit state to look after 3 very small children. I only hope that the family is getting support in these straitened times.

WhenI'm64 - I've never heard that term before, gouching. It's a whole different world isn't it?

I would hazard a guess that this is a mum whose methadone regime is not the only source of her drug use and she's reasoned that the most reliable source of her drugs can be obtained last, before the pharmacy closes. Sounds like she could have been gouching on heroin (sedated after using it earlier), in which case the pharmacist might have had concerns about supervising her taking the methadone, especially when she was in charge of three children.

You were right to notify social services, Kate. Things didn't look right and need sorting out.

I've only seen people queueing for it near closing time. I don't think patients can go and get it any old time. Perhaps that needs to change.

I don't think there is any reason to think she was drunk. Talk about looking for the worst in people! Sounds to me like she was trying hard to be a good mum, probably with little or no support.

Just out of curiosity, how was the colour of the child's hair relevant, katek?

I phoned SW back this morning and brought them up to date with where I'd last seen the family. SW thought it was quite likely that they would be in their system already given the fact that mum was at the pharmacy for methadone. They had gone out to look for her yesterday but couldn't find her but are going to follow it up today.

Looks from what you say Iam64, that mum had been drinking before heading for the pharmacy. Sad state of affairs altogether.

Is methadone dispensed early in the day Jingl? I don't know how these things work.

Perhaps she only woke up late in the day to go and get her medication.

What would the social workers do? Perhaps the pharmacy needs a rocket for only dispensing methadone late in the day.

On reflection Katek, if the young woman was slurring and staggering, it sounds more like intoxicAtion than withdrawal. Methadone is a heroin substitute, maybe she'd been using h as so many people do, alongside or instead of prescription drugs.

Yes let the sw team know where the methadone was being collected, that will help identify the family. Having said that, I feel despair at the way the cuts are impacting on the services this family need

I would phone the SW back and let them try and trace her. She is obviously putting her children at risk and needs help. The childrens safety is the most important thing here. What if she,d come around the corner and her child had been knocked down or someone had tried to abduct her? Very difficult situation for you well done for phoning in the first place others may not have.