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I am the foster-adoptive mother of an 8-year-old daughter who came to her father and I when she was 9 months old. She is severely RAD, but short of violence. She is destructive to material posessions but NOT to people (and not to animals! after years of intense coaching!).
Due to her severe behaviors and my own health concerns I made the unbareably horrific decision to put her in theraputic foster care. This was only after spending dozens and dozens (if not hundreds) of hours researching options. Thankfully, we have been extraordinarily blessed to have found a theraputic foster home placement for her that is healthy for her, close to me and had a basic understanding of RAD before receiving her.
Due to massive budget cuts to the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) in the State of Washington, the case worker and her supervisors are unwilling (or unable) to even consider granting me a guardianship or long-term foster care placement -- keeping my daughter in her current placement for the forseeable future, while allowing me to still visit her regularly and be "mom." They have filed a petition to terminate my parental rights.
My soon-to-be-ex-husband and daughters' foster-adoptive father has repeatedly made clear his desire to relinquish his parental rights. I have no intention of doing so and will fight it until my dying day! I love my daughter (and ONLY child, adoptive or otherwise) as much as any mother can. Tragically, due to her RAD, ADHD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Bi-Polar Disorder and my own health concerns we cannot live together full-time. I have never neglected or abused this child (or any other child for that matter) yet I constantly have to defend myself to the social worker.
In an effort to create a paper-trail pointing to termination the State has now reduced my visits to 6 hours a week. Prior to the reduction I saw her anywhere between 8 hours and 54 hours a week. Their argument for doing so is that they're experimenting with making the visits exactly the same time every week to see if it has an impact on her behavior.
I would LOVE to find an expert, and/or a quote in a book by an expert that would squash their premise. In my opionion, and based on what I've learned about RAD, controlling her behaviors is best done by theraputic attachment parenting techniques--NOT through limiting the amount of time the child has with the person she's most attached to in the world.
Any assistance in this area would be GREATLY appreciated!
Thank you! And good luck to all of you other parents of RAD kids!
~ ShelleyC123
You need to get yourself a good lawyer. They are treating you like nothing but an 'ex foster carer' of your daughter.
If you have a completed adoption of her and have had for the majority of her life unquestioned until now then you ARE HER MOTHER and it's no different than if you were her biological mother, but the definition of the law, you have all and any rights as her parent.
You need to speak to a lawyer and get this before a judge and explain your case. For them to terminate your rights, they would need to prove neglect. You haven't been neglectful. Your child is ill. You've done the best you can. You don't want to give her up. You want to fight for her, then fight for her.
If you fight and if you haven't been neglectful, I doubt any sane judge will side with the insane social workers who are trying to deprive you of your rights.
You need to stand up to their bullying and don't let them get you down. Your lawyer will be able to help negotiate the visitation and keep it fair as you have NOT been a neglectful parent and therefore they have no right and it is not in the child's best interest not to have contact with you.
Don't let them walk all over you and good luck.
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I have heard several similar situations where the state has required TPR in order to get the child treatment as a regular foster child. Best of luck, I hope your case is different.