Recently, Ruff was involved in a case of a 5-year-old boy who was living in a motel room with his unemployed dad, another infant and that child’s father and girlfriend.
There was strong evidence the non-relative male was physically abusing his own infant. The County opened separate cases on each child and family and placed both children in foster care.
In the case of a 5-year-old, living in a motel room with and being supervised by a man suspected of harming his own baby was not safe, Ruff says.
Unfortunately, between the first and second court hearing, the child’s own father vacillated between cooperation and belligerence.
On one visit, the dad told Ruff he planned to move into a homeless shelter with his son. Ruff encouraged the man, and let him know that would probably be an acceptable safe home where his son could join him.
But on a subsequent visit, the angry man wouldn’t even speak to Ruff. He denied his roommate was abusive, and didn’t see any problem with living in the motel room.
“He was so mad at me, he didn’t even ask about how his son was doing (in foster care),” Ruff says. “But it’s my job to keep working with him.”
| He was so mad at me, he didn’t even ask about how his son was doing. |
| -Tom Ruff, child protective services worker |
Ruff says it’s hard to say what will happen at the 15 day hearing, whether the father will move into a safe living environment and regain his parental rights, agree to some other services that might help him stabilize, such as job counseling or alcohol treatment, or dispute the allegations that his son is unsafe at the motel.
Ruff’s hope is the man will change his living arrangement for the sake of his son. And, the protective worker said he’s keeping an open mind about the possibility, because every case is different.
And Ruff’s job has taught him that people often defy prediction.
“You never know; he could have an epiphany,” Ruff says. “Stranger things have happened.”
