Fostering Families

The Washington Post is running a series on families in "the system" because the parents use drugs or drink. Both the daughter and mother are placed in facilities.

I have a modest suggestion. Find a setting where the entire family, including the father, is fostered as a group. After detox is completed, the assumption should be made that the family should be reunited, and this should happen sooner rather than later. This allows professionals to mentor the recovering parents as parents. A holistic approach might also make sure that the parents are literate to a level required to function in society, giving them a place to live, food, health care and a little money while they take their skills to the next level.

In the end, we will get functional families and the temptation to adopt out the child if setbacks occur will be greatly diminished.