Is child services contacted if newborn has methadone in system?

Question

I'm trying to find out the policy on this: If a woman, who is getting prenatal care, is on methadone, and has no other prescriptions or illegal drugs in her system, gives birth before being able to completely withdraw from methadone (getting off methadone too quickly causes fetal distress), will the hospital automatically get child services called? Or because it is a prescription, will they leave the family in peace? My sister is at an extremely low dose but is terrified there will still be methadone in the baby, not only for what the baby would endure, but because child services in our state snatches children then abandons them into foster care (usually in very poor neighborhoods), and over 100 children have been murdered by foster parents in the past 15 years here. My sister's other child is in private school, very well adjusted and well cared for, and she is terrified they will not only take her baby but ruin her older child's life as well-they have unlimited power, it seems. Help!

HER LIFE WAS NEVER APART! And having social workers talking to her daughter's teacher is out of the question, the girl attends a private school in a prestigious community where people don't have child protective service cases... she'll have to remove her daughter from school and find another school, and the child adores her school... not only is she trying to avoid having her children placed into the care of someone who would never raise her children as well as she does, or give them the opportunities she can, but to also avoid the SHAME of having some CPS worker nosing around in her life! Can she get an injunction against CPS? what are the rights of the person against CPS?

Answer 1

Your sister needs to talk to her doctors. Start getting evidence, and witnesses now that support that she is a good mother who is working hard to deal with the addiction that is endangering her child. Also, if she can afford private school for one child, she can afford a lawyer. Get one on retainer now if the doctors say they HAVE to report it. (It's mandatory in some states.) I would say that there is a good chance that if she builds her case now, and is vocal about standing up for her rights, that the state will back down. Especially if you already have a lawyer in place.

Answer 2

More than likely child services will be called. It is the obligation of that childs dr. to do so. However it does not mean that the child will automatically be snatched up. They will probably just monitor your sister until she completes the metedone therapy just to make sure that she does not go back to drug use. If your sister isn't a threat to this child, then she has no worries. It sounds as if she is putting her life back together and doing the right things for her other child, and the last thing child services wants is another parentless child. Tell your sis to be strong and things will be fine.

Answer 3

there will be methadone interior the child, yet as long as each and every of the medical doctors comprehend she is on a prescription (OB and pediatrician might desire to comprehend, and that they could touch the prescribing well-being care expert), i might think of she could be left on my own.