is this a child protectuon issue - wwyd??

[mebythesea]

Right not sure where to post this but usually get very sound advice from you guys so ...

Walking dd's home from school a few days ago and walked past a car belonging to a local couple who live near us. as we went by a great cloud of skunk smoke came billowing out of the car. I looked in the car and there was a baby in a carseat in the back and a toddler. Felt really sickened by this.
This family are quite rough, they live in a council house with an old man one of their their grandads maybe and lots of other people. I can never quite make out who lives there as seem to be so many different people using the house. Im pretty sure they are known to social services.
But im just now worried about these poor children being exposed to such a strong drug.

Would i be wrong to talk to the social services about my worries? Feel bad 'dobbing' them in but imo its very wrong. So what do you think?

Funny how one of the signs of drug activity is loads of people in the house. Can anyone say why? Is it because people turn up on benefits day?

I would definitely tell them. Dobbing someone in is surely when they're doing something harmless but a bit illegal, rather than putting children at risk?

Tell social services about them, I mean!

Yep thats what i was thinking. Have oft wondered if there was sumin dodgy going on in there... Just seen i bloomin well spelt the title wrong should have been protection

Having just been on a Child Protection course with work today, I'd say you need to report them. Always put the kids first.

I would say that partaking in drugs around a minor would/could be a CP issue.

Not sure of the relevance of them being 'rough' and from a council house though. Would it be more or less acceptable if they were highly educated and drove a 4x4?

Forget about calling ss - ring your regional police authority child protection unit.

It is completely unacceptable to be smoking marijuana whilst there are children in the same car. The fact that they are doing this so openly in public, I would suspect shows what sort of parents they are. I would without doubt be on the phone to ss.

Sorry i didnt mean to suggest that cos they live in a council house had any relivence. I live in an excouncil house on same estate. Was just trying to set the scene. And they are a 'rough' family by from what ive seen. Gardn full of rubbish, bottles, broken toys, lots of dodgy looking mates hanging about, smell of skunk eminating from house....
I prob wouldnt have taken much notice of them if it werent for the fact that ittle children are living there and being exposed to the drugs.

Definitely a CP issue. Report to SS or local Police CP unit asap.

It is a CP issue. I would contact SS, they are probably known to services.

Depending on what the police find, it may not be passed on to SS,it also depends on how good the police are at passing on the information,or the recording system in your LA.

Please report it. I am a FS worker and hate the thought that someone would notice this happening around small kids and say nothing. Ring SS and tell them your concerns. They can't act on what they don't know.

Terminal-no the situation that you described is not a CP issue, unless you are smoking in the same vicinity as children eg car, room etc.

The policy that we use is that the drug cannot be used in front of the child and only if it impacts on the life of that child, to meet the threasehold, then it becomes a concern.

You do not know what they are using around the children,it might not be weed, in my area most are using Skunk and that is harmful

Skunk/ weed are the same thing. For someone that comes across as educated you are a bit uninformed of the facts, birds.

Depends on were you are from.

Skunk isn't what we call weed, which used to be called green. I have friends/family that smoke either/both.

Just to add there is a lot of hybrid stuff being grown in my city.

The use of it is filling up the MH wards.

Is smoking a cigarette around a child a cp issue? How about a few glasses of wine? Or exposure to sleazy media?

All of these are truly damaging to children, more so than a bit of skunk, which is, in reality a flower.

If it's open for discussion then at least be aware of the facts.

Most smokers of cannabis that are parents are great parents. There is always an exception to every rule though. In op's later posts, where state of home and garden were mentioned I would have thought that these were the real concerns. It seems petty to moan about smoking a plant that is not as damaging as alcohol or tobacco, when people smoke and drink in front of their children and that's fine apparently.

It's not. Its a double standard.

And if you could explain to me what you think hybridized means In regard to cannabis, I would be very grateful

Have I stumbled onto a Tea Party website?

I'm with Terminal on this. Loads of stuff is a lot more harmful than a joint....

And as for "the use of it is filling up the MH wards" - get a grip!

Well said suburbophobe

I would like it a lot if you could explain what you think is the difference between skunk and weed Birds

Constable- any activity is judged on the impact to the child and overall family life.

I am not arguing the ins and out of drug use. The point of this thread was the OP wanting a question answered,which it was.

On the outside no-one can judge what is a concern, that is why SW's are given time to conduct assessments.

GB would be wise to follow the countries that have decriminalised it - Portugal, Switzerland, The Netherlands....

Even California is considering it.

I agree suburbophobe, Regulation would be fantastic.

Think of the money and lives saved/ improved when people see the real alternative to pharma and alcohol.

It's no where near as damaging to society, unless you believe these daily fail sorts that like to perpetuate myths. A bit like that nobber Peter Hitchens. Some of these posters probably get their facts from him.