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New to this site and to Foster parenting. We provided respite for a baby boy from last February till August. Then he was placed with us as a foster child and remains with us to present. He is now 16 months old. His mother has voluntarily terminated her rights and the father has been incarcerated since before the child's birth. He was convicted after a jury trial last month and receives his sentencing this week sometime. He has refused to terminate his rights voluntarily.
The permanency plan is involuntary termination of the father's rights and adoption by us. We have been asked by the FCM to write a letter to the judge at the next hearing at the end of April. We are unsure how to do this. Everything we've read is to stick to the facts and keep all emotion out of the letter. Due to the child's age, there aren't a lot of facts we can give except that, of course, he has bonded with us completely and the father has not been a part of this child's life because of incarceration. Also, how do you keep emotion out of it? We've been with this child since he was 3 1/2 month's old. He has bonded with the only parents he has known. We, of course, have bonded as if he was our own child.
Need help, please!
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I've never BTDT but I would say just build on what you posted here. Start from the beginning when you first met him. Was he on target with his milestones, did he have an issues from being abused, neglected or drug exposed. If there were any of these issues what did you do to meet those needs and repair any delays he may have had. Talk about any important doctor visits, even if it's just to say that he is doing well and is on target. You say he is bonded but explain what you mean, how does he show you he is bonded. Is he crawling, walking, or talking. If not what are you doing to improve this, is he in any kind of therapy...and so on. Well I hope this helps. Good Luck!
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If this is going towards adoption you can show emotion :)
Tell the judge how much you love lo, how he is a part of your whole family, how you are providing stability and a loving home.
Why do you have to write a letter though? Its not like you have to prove anything....he has been with you almost all his life.
Congrats!!!!! Mommy :clap:
I suggest you start by writing down a timeline, starting with the day he was placed with you.
Use the timeline to structure your letter.
Example: Feb. 29, 2012. Well-baby check. Doctor said LittleBoy is healthy and on target with all milestones.
Use complete sentences, of course, and have someone review it carefully for typos, spelling, and grammar. The computer will catch some errors, but not all of them.