Hi parakeet lover.
I have been placed in similar situations and I understand your concerns. I wasn't at all sure what to do, either.
You don't want to make it worse for your friend. You don't want to get her into deeper trouble. You don't want to be blamed for splitting her up from her father. You don't want to stir up trouble if he's just being a strict but loving disciplinarian. You don't want to break a confidence. You don't want to get into any trouble yourself over this.
I am wary of the authorities splitting up families. We all want what is best, but I sometimes wonder if it wouldn't be better to support a family with problems, rather than separating them. It does depend on the situation.
What I did was choose someone else in a position of trust and share my concerns. This person was then able to keep an eye on the situation and try to judge how serious it was.
If child services are involved already, this might be your chance to share your concerns, without being the person responsible for bringing them into the home.
