I was the only one up this morning. I've been enjoying a little peace and quiet but heard Elvis beginning to stir so I was gathering up his breakfast when the doorbell rang. Considering how I looked at the moment and the fact that no one who knows me would ring my doorbell at that time of the morning, I thought about ignoring it. Then they knocked...loudly. So, fashion plate that I was (my pajamas consisted of a lime green t-shirt and grey shorts that I haven't worn in public for 5+ years), I went to the door, figuring if they dared to knock that early, they deserved what they got.
And there stood a deputy sheriff. And he asked for me. I don't know why this scared me, as I'm almost obsessive about following rules and laws, but it did freak me out a little. I was made even more nervous when I realized that I was holding the door just barely cracked open and he might be thinking I was hiding something. (I was just being careful not to open the door very wide because we still have the visiting greyhound and you have to be really careful about them taking off when the door opens. They've been trained since puppy hood that you run as fast as you can when the door drops. We'd never catch her if she got away.)
Anyway, all he needed was to subpoena me into court. What fun! I read it quickly and had the real name of Deb (a long ago foster daughter, see info here and here and here) on it, followed by the letters TPR. (In the world of foster care, that means termination of parental rights.) So, I relaxed a little. Of all my 30+ foster kids, if one ever needed to have parental rights severed, it's her. The hearing is next week. I'll have to miss a day of school. I'm good with that. What worries me is having to spend the day (yes, the whole day) at the court house in the company of the same DCS workers who closed my foster home. Sound like fun?? Not to me, either.
However, I'll do it (as if I had a choice because I think the word "jail" was mentioned if I failed to show up) because it's what is best for Deb. I just hope I can remember the answers to the questions they'll ask me. She left my home over a year ago and a lot has happened since then. If they go asking me questions regarding the specifics of phone calls and visits, it's quite possible I may not remember.
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3 comments:
you should start planning possible answers in such a way to put as much bad light on the worker as humanly possible. not so that it will call the termination into question, but do what you can to point out this is waaaaaaaaay past due.
Yeah, what she said! That bitch made a decision that changed an important part of your life and now she needs your help. Fuck her!
I've had a few (and adopted a few) foster kids who were way....out of control like Deb sounds. What I will never understand is why foster parents are ultimately the ones being penalized when we honestly say that we can't meet the childs' extreme needs (a pretty nice way of saying the kids are driving us freaking nuts). I mean, aren't we supposed to protect the other kids whom we've already made a commitment to in our homes? Heck, aren't we supposed to protect ourselves from the crazy accusations? I have forewarned a worker that I saw the accusations coming from a girl we had placed with us "overnight" (turned into 4 months that only felt like 4 years) just by the way she was talking about some of her (many) former placements, including relatives, bio-parents, and other foster parents I actually knew. I told her I would be asking for her immediate removal if she tried it at my house. Well, a few months of hell later, she makes allegations, we get investigated and I say I'm going to take her to school and drop her belongings off to the worker. The worker quotes to me a rule that says we must give them 2 weeks WRITTEN notice to move the child and if we don't we will be in violation of that rule and our foster home will be immediately closed (moving the children we were hoping to adopt). Can you imagine the absolute rage I felt being backed into a corner like that? Yeah, that makes me a much better foster mom - forcing me to keep this child in my home that could destroy us with her words. The truth may eventually come out, but at what cost to my other kids? I don't regret turning in my license two years ago (after 11 years of it), and I am glad it was ultimately under my control that it happened, but for it to be taken away like yours sorta was and then they still expect you to testify to make their case? Please....do it for Deb, so she can move on to a permanent situation and ignore the rest.
If any question is raised about your license not being renewed, tell them very eloquently the reasons you were given but that it was not your choice to give it up. At the very least, it will raise questions about the worker.
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