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I have been a foster parent to a group of siblings for 3 1/2 years. Initially I had 2 children from a family of 6. We will call A and B. The children had all been in foster care family placement before, had gone home for 6 months and removed to traditional foster homes after that period. After 8 months this second time around, the judge changed the plan from return home to termination. Next step would be a termination hearing. We took in two more of the kids with the plan to adopt them when termination came through. These we will call C and F to correspond with their birth orders.
Within 4 months of the additional children placed, child A went to a family visit and A and the BMom reported together that A thought I was spanking/hitting F. They asked F and the child said no, but DCFS investigated and no indication was filed. We were upset with A of course and asked why she reported this and was BMom putting her up to it, denials abound. However, B and C tell me that A were pressuring them to lie and go along with it because A had a "golden ticket" to have them all placed together. They refused to lie. We asked the CW to move A to another placement and she was supposed to leave in a month (after school finished) to live with foster parents that also had D & E.
Within 4 days I found F with a bottom covered with purple bruising and red scratches on his bottom. He has just turned 3 yrs and tells me that A came in while he was sleeping, covered his mouth and beat him on his bottom. I reported immediately, took him to the doctor, DCFS investigated, found that A had done this, and the CW told me to drive her to the other foster home after school that very day.
DCFS had A go to therapy but because she was 13 couldn't "indicate" her. We as foster parents were indicated, however, because it was allowed to happen in our home. We didn't fight it, we did additional education.
It took the courts 2 1/2 years after changing the plan to termination to have the termination hearing. Meanwhile children see biofamily monthly and there are constant anonymous calls to the hotline, DCFS comes to investigate several times, children are found to be fine, the three we have doing well, no marks, no sign of problems. Kids say they are fine and feel safe.
6 months ago we noticed a change in behavior in B. She was recently 13 so we chalked it up to hormonal changes and regular teenager attitude. We eventually discovered that she had been communicating with BM via her school email account despite a court order for no contact. We discovered this after she and child C received a tablet as a Christmas gift and tried to hide it from us. It had the BM's email stored and a couple of email messages there. B told us about the additional communication, but it had all been deleted from the school account because B had given the password to the BM, so she made sure everything was gone. The school refused to cooperate in getting back any deleted messages, and the CW didn't take any action either.
As the termination hearing approached, more anonymous hotline reports, DCFS visits, nothing found. Then we tell children B & C to prepare them for the results of the termination hearing, that communication with BM and dad will depend on how well boundaries are respected from both BM and them. In other words, monitored communications and if all goes well, it continues. Behaviors and attitudes worsen from B and C as the case goes to court.
While waiting to hear judges decision, I get a call from a DCFS investigator. He wants my husband and I to leave work and come to his department headquarters as soon as possible. I am ushered into an interrogation room with the investigator and the CW. I'm told there has been another report. They have interviewed B & C at school and both say I have been hitting F. They are miserable and don't want to live with us anymore. They had never said anything like that to us and immediately start bawling. When they interview F, he says nothing is wrong, he doesn't get hit.
My husband and I have had all we can take. We tell the CW that same day to move out all three kids. The CW argues that she doesn't have anywhere to put them, they need two weeks notice....I answer back, if you thought we were really hurting them, where would you have put them??? and what do we do if the next lie they tell is even worse?! We drop the kids off at the other foster home that has A, D &E. They are putting A back with F which they know resulted in an assault, but they do it anyway!
DCFS keep investigating, interviewing our neighbors, visiting our house. A month goes by, they interview F again from his new foster home. Now he is telling them that I hit, spanked, choked him and pinched his ear until it bled. Investigator calls me to say they are indicating - not only me, but also my husband, but we are free to appeal the decision!!!! We have visited one attorney who says we have a good chance of winning an appeal, and it will cost $3000 to do so!!!! We don't have $3000 much less to spend it on accusations that are so clearly fabricated and have no basis in fact or in support other than the obviously coached responses after the child has left our care for a month.
We are at our wits end. How to pay for an attorney, WHY are we in the position of paying for an attorney. How could we go from planning an adoption to fighting for our reputations in 60 days!
Can anyone help with advice, experience?
I'm sorry for your troubles. I have not BTDT. I hope you get all the help you need. If your post does not get any replies, try posting in the foster parent support forum instead.
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