The System is Broken...

I'm angry. I don't understand the mentality of the people in charge of the child protective services. Yes, I knew the system was screwy when I started this. But in reality you have to be in it to get it. There are great foster parents, there are great social workers, and there are great judges. So why is there this problem? Because often times social workers don't make good decisions, and judges don't follow the law. What can you do after a law is passed and the judge doesn't follow it? Appeal? Meanwhile time is going by and the children's lives are in limbo. We need to pay attention to what these judges are doing. What do you do when a social worker drops the ball? What do you do when the social workers' supervisor does nothing about the child that's been in foster care for 3 years and has unsupervised visits with a parent who tried to kill them? What do you do when a case aid (a person with little required education who supervises visits) leaves the room or just doesn't care during a supervised visit while the child is being pinched, cut, yelled at, or slapped during the visit, nor do they report it? What do we do? Why drag it out for years, the abuse continues right under the watchful eye of the system. I fully understand the workload of a social worker, and I'm saying that it's too much for them. They cannot be solely responsible, they need help. It isn't fair to place total blame on social workers. The turnover rate for social workers and foster parents is extremely high for a valid reason. As a foster parent I am scrutinized continuously, and I'm fine with it. We have nothing to hide. Everyday a criminal report is run on my household, EVERY DAY. If I so much as get a traffic ticket it will be found out immediately. I think it's fine. It should be done. Foster parents have a huge responsibility. I can see where being a foster parent should be treated as a job and should be compensated well. At the same time, high standards should be adhered too. What should not happen is that a foster parent should not be treated as the enemy. Parents that have lost their children should be assured that their children are safe. If that child is in my home, they are safe. I can speak for several foster homes I know of, and I know those children are safe. Parents and foster parents should be encouraged to work together for the good of the child, and reunify if possible. If a parent has harmed a child, like attempted murder or founded sexual abuse, or founded physical abuse then the parents rights should be terminated within a reasonable time. Why take 3 or so years of a child's life to decide or try to reunify with an abusive parent? I realize that it's not that black and white, but for the most part it's not that difficult. I do not want child services to have all the power. The social workers need more accountability. If they have a child on their caseload that is years in the system, then someone else needs to step in. Judges need to be held accountable for sending children home to parents who have knowingly abused them. Foster parents need more support. We have the children, we know the children. Parents need to work with foster parents. This is sometimes impossible because of the high emotional state of the situation. A mediator should probably step in and help the foster parents and parents to work together. I really believe that instead of having a social worker making all the decisions the parents and foster parents should have more rights-but together. They should be in agreement. Bring in GAL's, psychologists, mediators. Get rid of these case aids who just add fuel to the fire. Go to the problem. The abuse. Address it. Make a decision based on the child's safety, not blood ties. Not every child is removed for horrible situations. Many can reunify. But for those that have suffered abuse, cut the parental ties. A bridge needs to be built between the foster parent and the parent. I am ready to start a movement. A movement to protect the 8 year old that was in my home, who is taking 4 different medications for psychotic symptoms, who's own mother tried to drown him, who has unsupervised visits with her, who's childhood has been robbed, who has been a victim of the child protective services who did not handle his case correctly and a judge who refuses to terminate parental rights, who's mother should be in jail for attempted murder. I am ready.