[shadowangel]

I'm living in a life that I can't take any more.. I need to know a way to leave my house its not something like I don't want to do what they say its what they say and do hurts me not phisicaly but verbaly and mentaly. I'm really scared and tired of dealing with what I am I've been told and I see no one deserves to go threw what I am going threw or what I've gone threw so please answer me I need to know before tomarrow I'm 17 I have a job but its during school hours I'm able to do night school but my parents won't let me but if I find a way to leave I have places to go but I've been searching the web and found out I need to be able to own a place or mainly be able to support myself I make 9 dellers an hour. I've looked in laws of unfit parents but I don't really find much just about phisical abuse umm. My parents do drugs and are alchaholica my father has had three dwd drinking while driving or drung driving you know what I mean. I have places to live I am able to get money but can't fund a way to do it please help me.

[shadowangel]

I'm living in a life that I can't take any more.. I need to know a way to leave my house its not something like I don't want to do what they say its what they say and do hurts me not phisicaly but verbaly and mentaly. I'm really scared and tired of dealing with what I am I've been told and I see no one deserves to go threw what I am going threw or what I've gone threw so please answer me I need to know before tomarrow I'm 17 I have a job but its during school hours I'm able to do night school but my parents won't let me but if I find a way to leave I have places to go but I've been searching the web and found out I need to be able to own a place or mainly be able to support myself I make 9 dellers an hour. I've looked in laws of unfit parents but I don't really find much just about phisical abuse umm. My parents do drugs and are alchaholica my father has had three dwd drinking while driving or drung driving you know what I mean. I have places to live I am able to get money but can't fund a way to do it please help me. I live with my father and his girlfriend in Texas my mom lives in oklhoma with her husbend I don't won't to live there because he abused me we all fought in court for a while then me my dad and his girlfriend mover here to Texas I could really use answers soon please please please help me.

[Fr_Chuck]

You can not just move out. Social services ( or children's services) have to be called. They investigate and may order your parents into rehab or into parenting classes. They may remove you from the home and put you into foster care.

You can not just decide for yourself and move out.

There are millionaire doctors or lawyers who have had 3 or 4 DUI and are considered pillars of the community, so no, sorry don't know what you mean.

[ScottGem]

First $9/hr is a pittance. Its barely above poverty level.

If your home situation is intolerable, talk to a counselor at school and get help that way.

[KellyC7]

Yes, parents who do drugs are certainly unfit to be raising children. You are still considered a minor at 17 years old. In your school, is there a school psychologist or counselor you can go to? They are extremely helpful as well as familiar with the law. Establishing a relationship with one of them may help you find a way out of your living situation or aid in a peaceful resolution/intervention. Also, do you have any other family that you can contact? Any Aunts, Uncles, Cousins? Sometimes they are willing to lend a hand when your immediate family is clouded or not functioning properly.

[cdad]

Yes, parents who do drugs are certainly unfit to be raising children.

This statement is untrue. Each situation has to be examined on its own merrit. There are no blanket categories to throw over a parenting plan.

[KellyC7]

Actually, in social work, a parent found guilty of drug use and alcoholism IS considered unfit in terms of child-rearing, and the social worker is then instructed to contact services and have the situation evaluated which can then either lead to rehabilitation or extracting the children from the home.

There may not be a set parenting plan, but drugs are illegal unless there is a serious medical condition. While each situation has to be evaluated, parents who are recreational drug users are much more likely to be deemed unfit and given the choice between rehabilitation and losing their children, ultimately.

You also clearly did not read the rest of my response. This person is looking for help out of their situation, and needs to understand who to go to in order to even have a possibility of doing so.

[cdad]

Actually, in social work, a parent found guilty of drug use and alcoholism IS considered unfit in terms of child-rearing, and the social worker is then instructed to contact services and have the situation evaluated which can then either lead to rehabilitation or extracting the children from the home.

There may not be a set parenting plan, but drugs are illegal unless there is a serious medical condition. While each situation has to be evaluated, parents who are recreational drug users are much more likely to be deemed unfit and given the choice between rehabilitation and losing their children, ultimately.

You also clearly did not read the rest of my response. This person is looking for help out of their situation, and needs to understand who to go to in order to even have a possibility of doing so.

I did read your entire post. I just couldn't agree with your blanket statement. Just the fact that a person takes a drug doesn't make them unfit before evaluation.

[ScottGem]

Actually, in social work, a parent found guilty of drug use and alcoholism IS considered unfit in terms of child-rearing, and the social worker is then instructed to contact services and have the situation evaluated which can then either lead to rehabilitation or extracting the children from the home.

While each situation has to be evaluated, parents who are recreational drug users are much more likely to be deemed unfit and given the choice between rehabilitation and losing their children, ultimately.

This question was asked in the Family Law forum. As such answers here need to conform to statutory law. Your subsequent reply (as quoted above) agrees with what Califdad was saying. Yes drug use means a parent is more likely to be deemed unfit, but its not a slam dunk as your initial response indicated. And that's the point.

Also, on what do your base your statement; "Actually, in social work, a parent found guilty of drug use and alcoholism IS considered unfit"?

[KellyC7]

Experience and study in the field of Social Work. I worked closely with my former school psychologist, and at least in New York and New Jersey, drug issues are tended to immediately and arrangements are made accordingly. I am studying to be a social worker, so I must be familiar with the practices.

All I was saying in my blanket statement is that YES, morally, and justifiably, parents who are drug users are considered unfit. If they're engaging in illegal activity, how could they be considered fit to raise children? That's all I mean.

I'm not here to argue, but if someone needs help, they need to know who to reach out to, and what will most likely happen if they do reach out, etc.

[Fr_Chuck]

Experience and study in the field of Social Work. I worked closely with my former school psychologist, and at least in New York and New Jersey, drug issues are tended to immediately and arrangements are made accordingly. I am studying to be a social worker, so I must be familiar with the practices.

All I was saying in my blanket statement is that YES, morally, and justifiably, parents who are drug users are considered unfit. If they're engaging in illegal activity, how could they be considered fit to raise children? That's all I mean.

I'm not here to argue, but if someone needs help, they need to know who to reach out to, and what will most likely happen if they do reach out, etc.

This is not a thread for moral opinions, go to the religion area for that. The issue here is the legal meaning of unfit. Are they morally unfit ( of course) but again this is not the moral board.

To be legally unfit, a court or social services has to declare them unfit. They are very slow to do this in real life. They will set up programs for the parents, they will do home studies, are the children abused, are the children feed,

A drug user who has their child well taken care of, may be a drug user but not a unfit parent. Middle class dad, who uses pot, is arrested. Their children may be on the honor role, and in all sorts of classes.

[ScottGem]

I'm not here to argue, but if someone needs help, they need to know who to reach out to, and what will most likely happen if they do reach out, etc.

I'm not here to argue either. I'm here to educate you about the standards and practices of this site.

Just because you are studying social work, doesn't mean you know the practices in every situation. It especially doesn't mean you know the law.

It is nice that you want to help, but you need to fit that help into the standards of this site. You need to make sure your responses conform to statutory law. You need to not make blanket statements that you can't back up with facts, not feelings.

[AdamC86]

The most important thing you need to hear now is that you need to stay in school. I'm a social worker, and I deal with cases like these all the time. I know you don't want to hear this, but you only have one year before you can graduate and go out on your own. There are far too many homeless teenagers, and I would hate for you to quit school and be stuck in a dead end job for the rest of your life.
From you experience, I think you would make a great social worker!
You should still probably try to contact CPS (especially if you have younger siblings), but by the time you work through the system, you may already be 18 and able to live on your own. Find someone to talk to and stay busy and away from home as much as possible.