A special interest group is urging that the state pass a law that would require parents to take drug or alcohol tests if a child dies in their care. A toxicology report might have helped police decide whether criminal neglect charges should have been filed in the death of a 2-month-old boy who was found dead face-down on a pillow in April 2012. Both parents later admitted to being high on opiates at the time of the child’s death, according to social worker case files. The boy’s death is one of more than 140 deaths and near-deaths as a result of abuse and neglect the panel is reviewing to determine how the state’s child protection system can improve.

The boy’s death also highlighted some glaring communication holes among law enforcement, social workers and the chief medical examiner. Social workers also could have done more to address issues with the family too. People are routinely tested for drugs and alcohol after fatal traffic accidents. Parents or someone supervising a child at the time of the child’s death also should be tested for drugs or alcohol, she said.

Call Us to learn more about interventions. (888) 223-0298. A major symptom of alcoholism, chemical dependency and other compulsive disorders like gambling is the minimizing and denial of the problem by the affected person. Facts of the problem, caringly presented by loved ones and significant others, are impossible to deny. A sensitive, guided confrontation (sometimes called a carefrontation) directed at the affected person is called a Family Intervention. Whether done in a family or workplace setting, Family Intervention is a way for the family and friends to confront the one they care for with kindness and respect, but also with direct honesty that will pierce the defenses of the addicted, helping them to see the damage their behavior is doing to themselves and those around them. Because family intervention is done by a group of family and friends, it makes an impact far more powerful than an individual could ever create on his or her own.