Drugs divide families

Drug use by parents, which causes child neglect and abuse, is the biggest reason why children have to be removed from their homes.

This is according to Barries Barnard, of Hi5 Kids Recovery Unit, a Springs-based organisation of volunteers.

This organisation does investigations into and recommendations to the police and welfare organisations about child abuse or neglect.

Each case is different with the necessary action required is determined by the individual circumstances in that home.

But of the cause is the same – drugs.

There are some cases where the children have to be removed because they are drug users, but most of the cases Hi5 Kids attend to are where parents are using drugs.

Parental drug use causes many traumas to children and is one of the reasons for parents neglecting their children.

Most of the time when Hi5 Kids are investigating the children’s circumstances, there is no food in the house for the children to eat.

Barnard posted on the Facebook page of Hi5 Kids that the week of November 3 to 16 was a busy week for the Hi5 volunteers, because six children had to be removed from their parents’ homes.

One of these cases was of a teenage girl who disappeared from home for three weeks because she was tired of not having food at home, while there was money for drugs.

When Barnard and the volunteers confronted the child’s mother she said she did not report her as missing because the mother did not have a photo of the missing child.

Last week Hi5 Kids was involved in cases where three children had to be removed from their home.

Among these cases was a mother of two children who was positively tested for drugs.

There was no food, toilet paper or body soap in their house.

Barnard says drug usage is not always the cause of having no food in the house, because there are many families living in Springs who do not have the means to buy food.

To help these families with financial constraints the Clydesale Community Policing Forum has started donating food to them.

He also says the volunteers of Hi5 Kids are also regularly providing the police with the names and whereabouts of the drug dealers operating in Springs.

Barnard invited anyone who needs help or knows about a family needing help, to call Hi5 Kids’ 24-hour telephone number on 081 575 4477.

Barnard says drug usage is not always the cause of having no food in the house, because there are many families living in Springs who do not have the means to buy food.

To help these families with financial constraints the Clydesale Community Policing Forum has started donating food to them.

He also says the volunteers of Hi5 Kids are also regularly providing the police with the names and whereabouts of the drug dealers operating in Springs.

Barnard invited anyone who needs help or knows about a family needing help, to call Hi5 Kids’ 24-hour telephone number on 081 575 4477.