There is a very interesting law suit in Hillsborough County, Florida. A foster care agency is the subject a class action law suit on the behalf of foster children.
In some ways I think this is a fabulous law suit. Maybe it will bring some issues to the fore front and get the public, as well as legislators and judges to pay attention to what happens in foster care.
The lawsuit is in regards to the quality of care kids receive as well as the length of time that kids remain in care. The length of time has always been a hot button for me. Having had kids in my house who remained in a state of limbo too long, I am always appalled at how long it takes for a child to be freed for adoption. Kory and Mackenzie both had to wait four years to be legally free for adoption. Mackenzie was removed at birth. She never spent a day with her birth mother except for the two days in the hospital when she was first born, and it still took four years for termination of parental rights.
This article gives some statistics in regards to the law suit that are just plain appalling. The majority of children that are in foster care in Hillsborough County have been there two years or longer. Sixty children have been in care ten years or longer, and ten children have been in care for fifteen years. That is just plain wrong.
The law indicates that if a child is in care fifteen consecutive months, or fifteen of the last twenty two months, that social services can petition for termination of parental rights. Mackenzie was in my home for fourteen months. Kory was in my home for seventeen months. And still it took more than two years after they left my home to have a TPR done. I can not imagine the children in the lawsuit who have been in care for ten or fifteen years.
The “main” child listed in the lawsuit was removed from his birth mother and her boyfriend when he was only four years old. He has spent the last thirteen years in foster care, and has moved forty-five times. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in major behavioral problems with this child and he was labeled unstable, which leads to potential adoptive parents being scared off. Personally, with what I read about his behavior, I’d be extremely hesitant to bring him into my home as well.
In some ways I would like to see more lawsuits like this. Maybe it would help to bring the needs of the kids front and center. Haven’t these kids already been through enough? Why should they have to wait in foster care so long for a TPR to be done and be free to have some permanency and stability in their lives? While I still miss Kory and Mackenzie and I wish they were back in my home, I thank God that they are both adopted now and have families. I thank God even more than Mackenzie only went through a small number of moves and that her placements were long where she was able to receive love. I wish that was true for all our kids.
So do I!
TN had a lawsuit for this very thing a few years ago. Called the Brian A Law. It’s brought about lots of positive changes for our kids in foster care. But we need to see more states being held accountable.
YOU have to rememeber each case is different and ok Lets wake up Children and Family services answers to No ONE they can do what they please …And they do… They like any angency with all power Abuse thier power and often this situation self prepetuates so they can get funding you see more children in the system more funding its job security Take for instance a child whom could go to a family memeber whom is qualifed they will often say they are not qualifed not because they arent but because they dont like them or need X amount of children in thier system for funding! I watched a social worker on 3 occasions in fort walton beach florida make a child sit in his own pee for 2 hours on 3 occasions who is the abuser the social worker and colleages~! the mother of the child was only poor no abuse was found no evidence aginst her yet the child was TPRed the sick part is the childs mother won a law suit 5 months later for over a million and now can not get her son back because of the TPR was done tooo soon not to mention the catholic social service is invloved in the adoption and the childs mother was involved in sueing the catholic church for sexual abuseing her as a child and the state know it was a matter of time before the law suit would end as it was already nearly over so CORRUPTION is rampid in florida children and family services They need to be investaged !!! recently in tallahasse they found over 15 children housed in the office sleeping in a conference room no bedding no seperate sleeping only tables with nothing hummmm Wake up Americans Lets do are part Speak out ask questions and quite lying down on the job ! INVESTAGATE!!!! FLORIDA CHILDREN AND FAMILY SEVICES !!!!