The drug addicted mother and placement of the child: Incompatible times
Most studies on female drug addicts indicate that they are often separated from their children, either by a court order or by family agreement. This article examines the issue of the temporality of drug use confronted by the social time of maternity and the institutions that place children in foster homes. The data presented comes from a study on reporting and placement of children of drug-addicted mothers in France. It revealed a common thread in the lack of understanding of the various protagonists of placing children of drug-addicted mothers, being the time lag between the various players. Emergency initiatives, characteristic of today’s social urgency to “do something” for this child exiting maternity, are superimposed over the urgency of the life of dependent mothers when maternity re-establishes time in their directional path. Pregnancy is often described as being particularly conducive to a change in direction, including other areas besides drugs.