Statement in Court

The following is the statement we read in court at a permanency hearing, advocating for Ava and her family.

Foster Parent Court Hearing Statement in Regards to:

“Ava”

All names in the statement have been replaced for privacy purposes

Statement:

As Ava’s foster parents for the past 4-months, we have had the opportunity to see her thrive and grow in so many ways. During this time, we have also developed a very good relationship with Bio-Mom and Bio-Dad, one that consists of open communication, both in person as we provide transport to visits, as well as through e-mails and texts.  We are very proud of Bio-Mom’s ability over the past 4-months to attend all scheduled, supervised visits, as well as a doctor’s appointment for Ava that we invited her to, and several swimming lessons that we enrolled Ava in. We are also proud of their success with sobriety. There is no doubt in our mind that Bio-Mom and Bio-Dad love Ava deeply, and we have no concerns about the safety of Ava while in Bio-Mom’s care. We believe reunification is the correct plan for Bio-Mom and Ava.

Our hope is that when reunification occurs, it is for the last time, and Ava never enters the care of DHS again and Bio-Mom and Ava have the adequate support required to achieve this.  Today, we have concerns about the current lack of a transition plan that is being proposed by DHS, and believe that a 30-day transition plan is more appropriate for this case.  We also have concerns regarding the requirements of the living situation that Bio-Mom and Ava are entering, specifically that reunification occur the day Bio-Mom moves in, and that there is a maximum length of stay of 4-months, which could result in Bio-Mom being homeless in the eyes of DHS at the end of her stay, if she is unable to find more permanent housing in the coming months.

Over the past 4-months, DHS has not provided Bio-Mom with the opportunity to have unsupervised visits with Ava, and has not provided the opportunity for overnight visits with Ava.  The current plan has provided Bio-Mom with 4 days to prepare for reunification, furthermore, this reunification is occurring on the day that she is moving into a new sober living facility.  Over the past 4-months, DHS has provided Bio-Mom with 11-hours/week of supervised visitation in a structured environment with all necessities to care for Ava provided, and now is providing 4-days notice for full reunification, 24/7 care of Ava.  Furthermore, the location and requirements of this facility are such that Bio-Mom must leave her family support system, including Bio-Dad and her other children who are located in St. Johns.  In our opinion, these factors, including the lack of a transition plan, coupled with the concerns I voiced previously regarding the facility and its requirements, pose a great risk to Bio-Mom and Ava’s success going forward. We would prefer that these factors be mitigated prior to reunification, to ensure the greatest chance of a successful and permanent reunification.

To be clear, this is not a critique on Bio-Mom, her love for Ava, or her ability to care for Ava. Over the past 4-months, in regards to visits, Bio-Mom has successfully achieved everything DHS has asked of her.  Unfortunately, DHS sent in an application for Bio-Mom to the current facility with knowledge of the facility’s requirements, and neglected to take the time since then to develop a transition plan.  We believe that if at the time the application for her was submitted to this sober living facility, DHS would have modified visitation schedules to reflect the potential for the impending reunification, it would have mitigated many of the concerns we have about this proposed reunification.  There was an opportunity to create a safety plan and increase visitations, allow for unsupervised visitations, and possibly even allow for overnight visits, if her current living situation was approved by DHS for overnights. Instead, DHS made no changes to Bio-Mom and Ava’s plan, and we are left with no transition plan or transition period.

We have been told by DHS that there is a wait list at the facility that she has been accepted to, and prior to last Saturday, we were under the impression that the earliest opportunity to move in to Greater New Hope would be in November or December of this year. With that understanding, our plan was to advocate for unsupervised visits for Bio-Mom and A at this court hearing, to allow for a smooth transition period as we work toward reunification.  Since last Saturday, it is our understanding that she has been offered 3-rooms in 4-days.  We have no information regarding why these rooms are available, and what the status of the wait list is, but if there are consistently vacancies at the facility, and DHS believes that this facility is appropriate for this case, we believe that there is an opportunity here to create a more appropriate transition plan.  This transition plan could occur over an agreed upon period of time, 15 days? 30 Days, during which, visitation is increased, unsupervised visits are approved, and possibly overnights, if this can be achieved in a manner that meets DHS’s requirements. This would provide an adequate transition period, and provide Bio-Mom with more time to create a plan for her and A at the facility, and procure items that she needs to properly care for A.

Again, we are very proud of Bio-Mom, Bio-Dad and their sobriety. We are impressed with Bio-Mom and her ability to make all of the visitations that DHS has offered.  We have enjoyed caring for Ava during this time, and developing a relationship with the Bio-Parents.  We have reached out to the Bio-Parents and offered to continue to support them and Ava and to be a part of their lives going forward, including providing respite care for A if they need it. We hope they trust us, and will remain in contact with us. Although Jewell and I have our reservations about the lack of a transition plan being implemented by DHS, and have previously voiced these opinions to DHS and Ava’s lawyer, we are hopeful that this reunification is successful. As foster parents and advocates for the children we care for, as well as the children in the care of DHS, we felt compelled to make this statement in court today, even though it is very difficult for us. We truly feel that Bio-Mom, Bio-Dad and Ava are a part of our extended family, and we hope to remain a part of their support system going forward.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

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