If substance abuse or mental illness is contributing to the abuse or neglect, these should be assessed and treated first. The professionals involved with the treatment should be willing to indicate that the parent has made sufficient gains to be able to adequately supervise her child or children.
Because the following changes may take a long time, it is not reasonable to expect all of them to be accomplished before a child is returned home. Instead, there must be some indication that changes are beginning to occur.
Related Subject: Section 7 Chapter 16 Substance Abuse