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I have been trying to work with Yolo County Child Welfare Department to resolve a critical situation. I have contacted the Foster Care Ombudsman two times with no response, in addition to the Regional Licensing contact, Julie Darden and the Yolo County Directors. Unfortunately, either the people I contact are not involved with placement or are not unbiased to the situation.
I have been a foster care parent with Yolo County and had a sibling set of three children in my care since April 2009. I had previously been a CASA to the eldest girl, who is now eight, so was aware of the children and the situation. My former CASA girl, who was a half sibling, was reunified with her father on May 17, 2010.
After eighteen months of working successfully with the children in regards to therapy, education, medical appointments, and scheduling visits with their family, I was recently told that I was not committedӔ or structuredӔ enough for the children. The children were abruptly removed from kindergarten and preschool on the afternoon of September 16, 2010. I was urgently called into the CPS office the same afternoon and told the children were taken without any pre-notification. Over eighteen months, there were never any verbal or written concerns regarding the welfare of the children and there was never any emotional or physical danger to the kids. I had expected to follow the steps of long term care of adoption and was waiting for direction from the county or state in regards to next steps. This removal was definitely a shock and surprise.
My main concern is for the children. I had worked with them to overcome severe behavioral issues, in which they are regressing back based on a recent report from the current foster home. They also already had trust issues which will be increased, along with potential abandonment and RAD complications. They were in a loving, stable, and safe environment which can be attested to by neighbors, preschool and childcare providers, along with the professionals in which we were receiving regular therapy.
Overall, I suspect that the reason for the unexpected removal of the children was mainly due to my repeatedly requesting a development assessment for the youngest child, who is now four. He was a drug exposed baby pre and post natal and continues to show some developmental delays. When I requested the assessment to the state adoptions worker, Kimberly Wrigley, she told me that was not an option and wrote on her note pad Does not want them, need to assess facts.Ӕ Shortly thereafter she met with the Yolo County social worker, Lee Burriss, and convincedӔ her that they need a more experienced and qualified home. I was pursuing the developmental assessment to ensure that the childs situation was fully understood and that he was receiving all the services possible during his developmental years. I was only concerned about his future since he may drug effected, either neurological or physiological, and as recommended by both therapists.
The way in which the removal of the children was conducted was absolutely, positively detrimental to both children. Furthermore, the way in which the social worker and state adoptions treated myself and the children was very unprofessional and not in the best interest of the children. I have yet to receive an objective response from anyone in Yolo County or the CA state child welfare departments. I have been to multiple hearings to appeal for the return of the children, and hired an attorney at great expense that cannot continue. It is sad fact that I only wanted to help the children, and subsequently loved and became bonded to them, to have them torn from their home unexpectedly to be placed in another adoptive home instead of communicating with me regarding an assessment to help their progress. There is no compassion or justice in the system for these children.
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