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Hi, I was wondering if someone might be able to give me any advice or informtion on a situation I have. I had my neice as kinship care since the day she was born, I become a certified foster parent in order to adopt her, as they were telling us we'd be able to do because she turned 13monthes old. Then the parents went to rehab and they gave my neice back, no gradual return or anything for this 15mo old. Just took her and that was it. DYFS said I'd be able to have weekend visits considering the mother did not get along with us, but she was still our family. After a few weeks visits stopped occuring because of mother. Dyfs has not been returning my phone calls and I dont know where to go from here. My son is very attached to my niece, like a little sister and crys every day that he wants to see her, she is still my neice, I feel I should have some rights for visitation, especially after raising her for her first 15mo of life. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to get visitation? Thank you for listening.
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I would think that the best place to start would be to talk to attorney. They would know the laws in your state and if you had any types of rights. It doesn't cost much to at least talk to one.
Is it possible that the child could come back into care? If you are not getting answers from someone at DYFS, then drive over there and sit in the office until someone does.
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I am so sorry you are going through this....but as a foster parent, these things happen all the time I'm afraid. The fact that you are a relative is not really a factor. You are not a parent or grandparent (those are the two typically granted visitation rights). This child's parents have the right to keep people out of the child's life. Is it right? Not in this case, but they still have parental power.
In this instance, this child was a foster child and you were the foster family. Her bioparents had a caseplan and they completed it and were reunified. It can be heartbreaking for the child and for the foster family to not have any transition time, but it is happening everywhere.
Kim