Angie - posted on 07/04/2012 ( 4 moms have responded )
254
28
Not sure really where to post this, but have posted in this group previously on my out of control teen. After over a year, we have had no improvement and in March, when he was discharged from the psychiatric hospital with a 24 hour supervised recommendation & strongly recommended it was unsafe for him or me for him to return home, juvenile hotlined me to DFS (Division of Family Services) for abandonment for following the hospital's recommendation and refusing to pick him up.
My parental rights have not been terminated, but it has been determined by courts (and me) that I can't provide the care he needs so he is under DFS care and custody. I knew this was going to happen, but I have had several professionals tell me DFS has more resources than I can ever get my hands on, which is another reason for going this route.
DFS completely ignored the hospital's recommendation & my pleas on all his medical history and initially placed him in a foster home (least restrictive setting per their protocol). After 3 weeks, he stole 40 pills, then 3 pills, then foster mom's jewelry & had an incident with a butcher knife that he was refusing to put down. DFS left him there, giving him 1 more chance. He then stole a $700 camera from school and was arrested. He has now been placed in residential treatment as juvenile would not approve returning to the foster home, plus the foster parents didn't want him back, feeling he was beyond their capabilities.
According to my Parent Rights and Responsibilities packet from DFS, I have the right to be consulted on any medical; however, I found out DFS approved all 3 of his meds being increased last week without any consultation with me, one of them increased double the recommended dosage increase guideline. DFS worker said we rely on the doctor to do what is best. After 3 acute care facilities, 3 weeks in a group home, and almost 2 months of inpatient, he then spent 7 weeks in a Psychiatric Hospital for a complete med evaluation and med wash. His diagnosis is Conduct Disorder which there is no medicines to correct; the hospital was able to get him washed of all but 3, feeling these would assist him to pause before making his impulsive, irrational choices. Now a doctor who has seen him once has increased all 3 when I have had the doctor who sent him to the hospital say changing meds is like introducing baby food...one change at a time, because now if we see improvement or regression, which med change was it??
Has anybody had any experience dealing with DFS or Children's Division, whatever they are called in your state? I'm in Missouri & I am trying so hard to play this game to get my son the help he needs so he can come home happy, healthy and safe, but I am getting so frustrated with this system.
My DFS worker comes tomorrow for my "home visit" to check for running water & food in my fridge (what a joke!); she rescheduled this morning (yes on a holiday) our 8am visit to 7am that yes, I accommodated, just as I accommodated our last month visit scheduled for 4:15pm that she was over an hour late for. I plan on presenting her the facts I have on these meds & if she continues to refuse to consult me on changes, I'm addressing with the judge next week at court, who ordered the psychological testing, the psychiatric evaluation, and the psychiatric hospital as he was also concerned about my son's meds & wanted a complete medical evaluation. I'm trying very hard to work with them, but I can't at the expense of my son's health.....Any ideas?
4 Comments
View replies by