‭Stephanie Garahana, Melanie Rangel, Marissa Sanchez, Alyssa Smith‬

‭SW 3400 Impact of Child Abuse‬

‭Group Portfolio Part II‬
‭Sunday, October 1, 2023‬
‭Vignette #5: John‬
‭1.‬ ‭Assess and identify the presenting child safety issue in the vignette‬
I‭ n this vignette, the safety concern is for the newborn, John. John tested positive for‬
‭OxyContin at birth, indicating that he was exposed to it during pregnancy. This exposure‬
‭can severely affect his health, and development, and cause serious medical complications.‬
‭The baby’s mother, Mary Jopper, has admitted to taking OxyContin without a‬
‭prescription. She is struggling with mental health concerns that may affect her ability to‬
‭care for John. It also sounds like Mrs. Jopper may not have support from her husband.‬
‭This can create a challenging environment for John to be cared for, especially when he‬
‭may be experiencing withdrawals from OxyContin in his system. Overall, the major‬
‭concern is with the safety of John, and providing him a safe environment.‬

‭2.‬ I‭ dentify safety risks associated with the vignette (what are the potential‬
‭developmental impacts from the abuse?)‬
‭ here are multiple risks in this situation. In the short term, John could be facing medical‬
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‭complications caused by the OxyContin in his system. There are a variety of withdrawal‬
‭symptoms, which can take a toll on a vulnerable person such as a newborn. There are also‬
‭possible safety risks caused by parents, Mary and Thomas Jopper’s inability to care for‬
‭John. In the long term, there are risks of attachment issues, academic or cognitive‬
‭development delays, and behavioral problems. Due to the likely neglect in the situation,‬
‭these things can be potential long-term outcomes, unfortunately.‬

‭3.‬ ‭What is causing the problem?‬

‭ rs. Jopper has admitted to abusing OxyContin due to an injured ankle that happened‬
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‭two months before her pregnancy. At first, she stated that her doctor gave her medical‬
‭permission to take OxyContin during her pregnancy. She later admitted that she had been‬
‭taking OxyContin without her doctor's knowledge after she started getting pain in her‬
‭ankle due to intense swelling in her pregnancy while getting baby John’s nursery‬
‭prepared. She had mentioned how she felt like her husband hadn’t fully been supportive‬
‭since she had become pregnant. Mrs. Jopper has stated that since Mr. Jopper has been‬
‭living life as before the pregnancy it started making her fall into a deep depression‬
‭because of not having his full support. On top of not feeling Mr. Jopper’s full support,‬
‭Mary also mentioned how she is the only one out of her friend group to become pregnant‬
 ‭ hich has also contributed to her feeling all alone and isolated. Mrs. Joper has mentioned‬
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‭her passion for playing tennis but since she injured her ankle her injury prevented her‬
‭from playing her favorite sport. She also mentioned how playing tennis was a way for her‬
‭to exercise and a way to relieve stress. Since she hasn’t been able to play tennis as a way‬
‭to exercise and relieve her stress; she has turned to OxyContin as a way to cope with her‬
‭day-to-day stress levels.‬

‭4.‬ W
‭ hat are the strengths or protective factors that could be built on with services to‬
‭alleviate the problem?‬
‭ rs. Jopper showed concern for her child and recognized her inability to properly take‬
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‭care of her infant, John. She identified that she was experiencing dizziness and effects‬
‭from the drugs that put her baby at risk and enlisted the help of the nursing staff, rather‬
‭than risk her child’s safety. Since she realizes that she is impaired and risking her child’s‬
‭safety, discussing therapy and a program for drug addiction would provide some support.‬
‭In addition, regardless of her feelings about preparing for the child without her husband’s‬
‭help, Mrs. Jopper continued to get the nursery ready and work to provide an appropriate‬
‭environment for the baby. She put the needs of her child above her own, committing to‬
‭quitting her job as a teacher in order to stay home with her child for the first few years‬
‭because she and her husband agreed that was best for the baby. Mr. Jopper, while initially‬
‭not an active participant or sufficiently supportive of his wife, was open to feedback and‬
‭took accountability for his lack of attention to her and her needs. He expressed a desire to‬
‭be a good father. The couple own a house, live in a nice neighborhood, and have‬
‭connections to their community. They are part of the Neighborhood Association and Mrs.‬
‭Jopper, before her injury, was an active member of the community. She was also part of‬
‭the tennis community. Mrs. Jopper may benefit from a support group for new mothers to‬
‭fulfill some of her social-emotional needs and to give her outside connections. Perhaps‬
‭opportunities to volunteer or work a few hours a week would also improve her feelings of‬
‭isolation. Both parents have supportive families. Mrs. Jopper’s parents live close by and‬
‭they have regular contact weekly. She also has a sister she regularly talks to. Perhaps‬
‭tapping into that support to give the Joppers a break so they can work on their‬
‭relationship and continue to participate together in groups they enjoy would strengthen‬
‭their communication and provide an outlet. As a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jopper have been‬
‭married for 6 years and have worked together to make plans for their future. They have‬
‭expressed having things in common, including their religious affiliation. They recognize‬
‭there are issues to be worked on in their relationship and are committed to working on‬
‭them and doing what they need to do in order to have their son come home. Financial‬
‭stability, community connection, care, concern for what is best for their child, family‬
‭support, and education are all strengths in this family.‬
‭5.‬ R
‭ ecommend next steps to review with your supervisor (what would you think or‬
‭suggest would be the next step in the phase of child safety assessment?)‬
‭ he first step that we have to take as an agency is determining if baby John meets the‬
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‭state of Utah’s criteria for abused or neglected children. In this case, because the infant is‬
‭not at an immediate risk of danger or death, he should not be taken into custody nor‬
‭should Mr. and Mrs. Jopper be referred to CPS for an investigation. After concluding that‬
‭the child does not need immediate medical attention the family should be referred to a‬
‭community agency for assessment, in this scenario if we are the agency we would‬
‭continue with the assessment. Our agency must determine the needs of baby John such as‬
‭his current condition, the extent of the mother’s substance use history, the status of the‬
‭parent’s mental health, their willingness to cooperate and address concerns, etc. Other‬
‭specific factors that our agency should consider are Mrs. Jopper's interactions with her‬
‭baby and any indicators of postpartum mental health issues. As stated in the case files,‬
‭Mrs. Jopper has not been responding well to the birth of baby John. Our agency should‬
‭address this issue and, for the safety of baby John, we should refer Mrs. Jopper to mental‬
‭health services that can aid in her recovery (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2020).‬
‭ here are many factors that need to be taken into consideration before creating a‬
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‭safety/treatment plan for the Jopper family. In this initial assessment, it is important that‬
‭we advise our supervisors and other colleagues to determine what the best course of‬
‭action is. We want to keep baby John safe, but we also want to advocate for Mr. and Mrs.‬
‭Jopper and their physical and mental health as well‬‭.‬

‭6.‬ P
‭ rovide a list of additional questions (at‬‭least 5) your group agrees on and would‬
‭need to be answered to continue the assessment.‬
‭ .‬ W
1 ‭ hat are the family’s goals for the future?‬
‭2.‬ ‭How do the Joppers plan on communicating their future needs to each other?‬
‭a.‬ ‭Are they willing to attend couples therapy or participate in other‬
‭relationship-building exercises?‬
‭3.‬ ‭What other support does John (and the family) have? Are there supportive‬
‭extended family members or friends?‬
‭4.‬ ‭Do they have adequate, reliable child care so the couple can spend time alone‬
‭together, or participate in social activities?‬
‭a.‬ ‭Do they have resources in case of an emergency if they become‬
‭overwhelmed or need a break?‬
‭5.‬ ‭Is this the first time Mrs. Jopper has had struggles with drug dependence?‬
‭6.‬ ‭Does Mrs. Jopper have any plans for personal treatment (such as addiction‬
‭recovery, therapy, or medication)?‬
‭a.‬ ‭Is she willing to pursue treatment to heal?‬
‭b.‬ ‭How can pain management be addressed?‬
‭7.‬ W ‭ hat medical support can be provided to Mrs. Jopper so she can become more‬
‭active and potentially engage in activities that provide wellness and social‬
‭satisfaction?‬
 ‭ eferences‬
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‭ hild Welfare Information Gateway. (2020). Plans of safe care for infants with prenatal‬
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‭substance exposure and their families. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,‬
‭Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau.‬‭https://www.childwelfare.‬
‭gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/ statutes/safecare/‬