On Saturday, Nov. 11, the advocacy team at CMFCAA hosted a Foster Parent Luncheon. At this luncheon, we were able to discuss issues with permanency and get a better understanding of the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard. So many of our wonderful caregivers shared their concerns with children in care for more than the 22-month timeframe that Children’s Division states there should be. It makes sense why there are so many frustrations!
Every child deserves a home they feel they can “plant their roots” in. Our new Extreme Family Finding™ supervisor, Shannon McPherson, shed some light on why this can sometimes take longer than 22 months. When the case goal is reunification, the biological parents are given steps they can take to ensure proper care and safety for their children in the event they are returned home to them. Sometimes parents follow the plan, and others do not. For the parents that follow the plan, they sometimes “fall off the wagon” and that extends the time the case is open as they try to pick themselves back up again. McPherson encouraged our caregivers to be mindful of how the experience of their children being removed has affected the biological parents. She shared a story of one mom missing the first few months of visits with her biological son because she was so filled with guilt that he had been removed that she could not face him. McPherson also said some parents do not want to be parents, but are still given the opportunity to change their ways within that 22 months by Children’s Division.
It can be very difficult to watch the child in your care experience all the emotions, and trauma in some cases, when they are working the reunification plan. However, as hard as it is, we need to try our hardest to not villainize the biological parents because this experience was traumatic for them as well. Being consistently loving and consistently caring for the child (or children) in your care during this experience is exactly what they are needing until permanency can take place!
