FH Campus Wien / University of Applied Sciences
Andrea Gansfuss, Jana Lanser, Anna Matschnig
Case Study: Family D.
Current Family Situation:
Isabelle, 2 years old
Ms. D., mother of Isabelle, 31 years old, has been taking drugs for 16 years, she receives
social benefits, child benefit and maternity allowance
Mr. M., partner of Miss D and father of Isabelle, 35 years old, lives in a shelter for homeless,
unemployed
Grandmother of Isabelle and mother of Ms. D., 53 years old, has a job with flexible work
hours, lives in a flat with Ms. D.’s younger sister and her husband, who have just had a baby
Earlier Interventions from the child and youth welfare office (CYWO) in Austria:
First Intervention: The hospital made a report to the CYWO after the birth of Isabelle,
because of the drug consumption. Ms D was substituted during pregnancy, but Isabelle had
behavioural and physical problems. The social worker of the CYWO contacted the mother in
hospital. The situation of Ms. D. was too unstable to leave the baby alone with her and so the
social worker organised a place in the “House Luise”. House Luise is a special mother – child
home, for crisis interventions, where the mothers can stay for eight weeks. There is the
possibility of 24 – hours monitoring and to clarify the danger for the wellbeing of the child.
The social workers and social pedagogues of House Luise judge the situation and give a
report to the social worker in the CYWO. After eight weeks the result of the clarification was
that the child could stay with the mother, but not without further support.
Second Intervention: The social workers made a contract with the mother about the
necessary support. This included:

Staying in another mother child home, with support from social workers on site

Drug therapy and stable substitution, with drug tests twice a month

Personal contact to the social worker in the CYWO once a month

Weekly support from a social pedagogue of the parent-child-centre

Agreement with the mother that the social worker of the CYWO can receive
information from the drug help centre and the mother – child home
For approximately a year everything proceeded well, the mother fulfilled the obligations of the
contract and also the father of the child was present.
Third Intervention: After a period the social worker recognised irregularities in the results of
the drug tests. The social worker observed this for a few months and tried to get more
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FH Campus Wien / University of Applied Sciences
Andrea Gansfuss, Jana Lanser, Anna Matschnig
information about this from the drug help centre. The care and attachment of the mother and
the child were still good. On a Monday the mother – child home contacted the social worker
of the CYWO to tell her that Ms. D. was in a hospital, because of a near overdose on Friday
night. Mr. M. was sleeping at her place that night and called the ambulance. Mr. M. stayed
with Isabelle in the mother – child home for the weekend. Ms D. got discharged from the
hospital on that same Monday and there was a conference in the mother – child home
afterwards. At the conference there was the social worker of the mother child home and
CYWO, the social pedagogue of the parent-child-centre, Ms. D., Mr. M. and the
grandmother. Together they decided that Isabelle cannot live with the mother anymore. Mr.
D. was not an option to take care of Isabelle, because of his homelessness and the
grandmother also didn’t feel capable of taking her.
Fourth Intervention: The social worker contacted the RAP (the department for adoption and
foster care in Vienna) which organised a crisis foster family for Isabelle. Isabelle lived in the
crisis family for eight weeks and had contact to Ms. D. once a week in the office of the RAP.
The social worker of the CYWO and Ms. D. agreed on a further extra mural therapy and as
soon as there was a place available she should change to a stationary therapy.
Current Situation:
Isabelle lives now in a foster family, because after the eight weeks with the crisis foster family
it was not possible to return her to her mother. The RAP organised this suitable foster family.
Ms. D. is already in the stationary therapy and the foster family takes Isabelle to see her
twice a month.
Questions for the students:

How would the case develop in your country? Which interventions would be different,
which would be the same?

Which institutions and possibilities do you have in your country for families in this
situation?

How does your foster system and institutional care system work?

Which requirements does the mother have to fulfil to get Isabelle back? Is there a
chance to get her back after she is in the foster system?
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