Oregon DHS: White Trash Foster Parents

If you have the bad fortune to... let's say... have an ex-wife who devolves into a methhead... who then drags your child headlong into the dreadful lifestyle... you will have the opportunity to see an Oregon state agency at absolute peak dysfunction.

Oh sure, you feel that you have no other option but to seek the state's intervention in your quest to save your child, right? After all, in Oregon, mothers hold all the cards when it comes to any custody issues. They practically have to be convicted murderers before the state court system (or its agencies) will defer to daddy for any input. And if your child's mother is a methhead, you are in for a horrible ride, my friend.

One needs to understand the dynamics involved with the meth culture. Usually, those entrenched in this hideous existence come from a long background of substance abuse issues, abusive family issues, low self esteem and/or serious mental/emotional problems. It could be a matter of any combination- or, all of the aforementioned profiles that are involved.

And... consider this: that's simply a list of undesirable traits among the many who are drawn into the meth culture. Once they blossom into full-blown methheads, another complete layer of sickness is added. Intense paranoia, complete absence of judgment, violent behavior, overt aggressiveness, hallucinations.. and what would, to all outward signs, indicate schizophrenia.

Methheads are fiercely loyal to their addiction- they will do anything to procure their ongoing supply. I do mean anything. Break into cars and homes... steal from trusting and unsuspecting elderly people... even prostitute their children. I have witnessed it upclose and personal.

What most people don't realize is, when you seek help from Oregon's DHS- an agency not only entrusted with the protection of children, but whose primary objective IS to protect children, you are actually dealing with enablers. Many of the caseworkers come from the ranks of a substance abuse background themselves, and tend to have an unhealthy empathy for methhead mothers.

If it were a matter of pragmatism, I wouldn't take issue. I'm never been a proponent of State intervention, whether it involve parenting issues, reproductive rights or otherwise. Government should only step in when absolutely necessary. However, when it IS abundantly clear that there ARE serious, even life threatening issues... it is incumbent upon these "professionals" to carry out with their responsibilities.

For example, if methhead mommy is continually testing "hot" (high levels of meth in their bloodstream), wouldn't it make sense to at least remove the child from this environment? Particulary when their minor child winds up hospitalized with an overdose? Shouldn't the very least the state DHS require is that mommy successfully complete a treatment program?

To make matters worse, Oregon's DHS utilizes what some refer to as White Trash Foster Homes for many of these lost children of the meth culture. Again, many of the "matriarchs" of these homes are tweakers (methheads) themselves, or former alumni of "Meth University". And, like the agency (Oregon DHS) that has unwisely placed children into their care... they also tend to empathize completely with poor methhead mommy... to the extent of ignoring court mandated conditions.

In Wolf Creek, Oregon, a state-subsidized foster home routinely ignores laws, rules and guidelines for providing temporary care for children. Drug-addled momma can have access to her child, regardless of whether she is allowed to or not. Why does this continue, one wonders. Here is a foster home receiving Oregon taxpayer money to care for kids- and yet they feel empowered to create their own rules, effectively further endangering the children in the process.

Of course, daddy only finds out about this after the fact. He apparently has no rights nor regard in the matter. He's the bad guy- the one who has the audacity to care about the welfare of his child, and is attempting to extract them from the meth culture.

Fast forward to the end of the story.... the child was returned to her addict mother. Methhead mommy never received any treatment for her meth addiction, nor was this sensible option ever suggested. The reasoning from Oregon DHS representatives, the Oregon court system and their stellar cast of judges? The child wants to live with her tweaker mom. She'll run away from daddy's house (he has unpleasantness like structure, rules and accountability after all).

Dysfunction accomplished. Congratulations, Oregon DHS. Congratulations, Oregon court system. You have succeeded in assuring yourselves of job security: another generation of more of the same. The fool in this entire exercise was poor old dumb daddy. He was actually naive enough to believe that you might help... that you might defer to a logical outcome. Daddy thought that you really cared about helping children, that you would do the right thing... that, eventually, the system will work.