Care proceedings... section 20

[Sheenabeena87]

am in hospital with my newborn until Monday I have been advised to sign a section 20 I'm not even sure how it works I know they are looking to get an interim care order....I had one cp conference meeting 17th Jan and the plan never got started. My hair strand test came back positive for cocaine use (6months) I had a drink problem but haven't drank for 2 half years....it's not an excuse but my mental health was not good n some1 offered me the drug n I stupidly took it I haven't touched it for 3 weeks and with regular drug testing i am going to stay abstinence I'm determined to get my boy back...it wasn't going to court before the hair strand results as they said they didn't have enough....what are my chances of having him bk

Well your non negotiables are:

1. Every drug test must be totally clear
2. Attend every contact session , on time and sober

And 3 - keep in touch with your solicitor and listen to their advice

Good luck

That's exactly what I aim to do

Thank you to each one of you that has commented and for your opinions I know what I need to do and WILL do it

But that is only part of it, you need to put support in place to sustain a positive attitude towards the objectives. If you are perceived as vulnerable to dv , for example, how can you ensure you and potentially dc are safe. What are your weaknesses that make you vulnerable and how can you strengthen them.

Adoption is rightly a last resort. Every effort is put in to keeping birth families together, and for good reason. If you genuinely cared about children you wouldn’t be advocating for things like attachment disorder.

She’s just given birth. Now is not the time to make suggestions later that

Adoption doesn't cause attachment disorder. Inconsistent/abusive/neglectful caring does. A baby removed at birth is highly unlikely to develop attachment disorder.

4 attend every single appointment for the parenting assessment and be open and honest about your past
5 engage with drug rehab
6 ask for a psychiatric assessment to give recommendations to address why you use drugs
7 think hard about what your support network is, realistically and ask for a family group conference for them to attend
8 cut all ties with drug suppliers and with friends who use

There's a charity called PAUSE who will be able to offer you advice.

Pause only work with women who have had more than one child removed by the courts. It used to be one child but their funding was reduced.

Oh I see, I watched a programme about them and was very impressed by their practicality and compassion.

You don't necessarily need to go in rehab to address a drug problem it can be managed in the community working with cgl which I am doing I addressed my alcohol problem in the past and haven't drank for nearly 3 years

Adoption should be an absolute last resort. Adoption itself is a significant trauma. Many care experienced or adopted children go onto to experience a significantly higher rate of mental illness etc. It really messes with your self esteem and sense of identity. If safe, the best place for a child is with biological family, be that parents or extended family who can take the role on.

The OP is a vulnerable woman who needs support for addiction, mental health and domestic violence. She knows this and is working with services. She deserves the chance to turn things around.

Not everyone has grown up with good parents, money, or much privilege. Not everyone has the resources or background to cope well with life or indeed parent well. Most people addicted to drugs are vulnerable due to current or previous life circumstances. She clearly loves her baby and wants support to change.

Your addiction problem wasnt addressed properly, otherwise you wouldn't have a new addiction. The underlying maladaptive coping strategies need to be addressed and replaced with healthy coping strategies so you don't end up switching to another addictive substance again. Please don't underestimate the support you need to not only overcome this addiction but to also develop healthy coping strategies.

How would a person do that?

With the support of a substance misuse service such as CGL which the OP says she is engaging with.