New Family Times Five

Today was my day off but I went in for an MDT meeting.  This is the meeting that happens when a case if first opening, we have this after the initial assesments have been completed and we (ideally) have a good idea of the family's strengths and needs (weaknesses, but we cant use that word).  Today's MDT we were staffing a new case soon to come onto my caseload, there were five kids.  Three boys, two girls, five different fathers.  As you might imagine, its a little complicated.

That said, from my end a sibling group of five is easier to manage than five separate families.  There is only one (active/involved) parent to notify of things, one case plan to manage.  Since there are no fathers involved I dont have to worry about domestic violence or one parent completing things and the other not.  These kids sound intresting though, the two youngest seem to be a dynamic duo that have not been as deeply affected by the family instability as the older ones.  I think they will do well in a local foster home.  The oldest boy is good where he is, he actually has a child of his own, if I can work out visits for them then it will probably be good motivation for him to maintain at a local placement.  I will have to stress it to him that if he gets kicked out I am sending him to double dirty south georgia.  I think the middle girl will do well at a local placement as well.  I expect to have to send the middle boy out to an outdoor theraputic placement in northeast GA.

The rough part is that mom didnt show to today's meeting and has not been contactable by anyone.  She might be in the panic phase of when kids are taken but there's no way of telling.  She has been visiting which is a good sign.  As with all these things, time will tell.