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We've had our little one(4) for 15 months.... the goal was changing to adoption by us and now the grandparents have put in for permanent guardianship. By doing so, the goal was then changed in favor of the grandparents. Within a week, they've done all of the paperwork, finger prints and are now just waiting on the home study! I feel completely blindsided and helpless!!
(RANT)= These are the same people that drove by the children's home everyday and never stopped by to see how they were living and told the caseworker "NO" when they were contacted to take the children in when they were removed from the home. The sad part is, my little one doesn't even know these people, there's no bond. If the grandparents would've made that request earlier in the case then I wouldn't be so upset at least that would've showed me that they care and were willing to help these kids.
Court is next week so I guess the judge will sign off on the permanent guardianship request then, I'm not really sure what will happen next!!
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If you've previously said no to the placement and then allowed a child/children to linger in foster care for over a year, then you shouldn't have the right to wake up one day, find out that you get a little bit of money, sign a paper and everything is handed over. Where is the "best interest of the child"??Sorry...I'm still venting!
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I'm sorry you are hurting. I can't imagine losing my DD after bonding for 15 months.If and when you are ready, I'd be glad to share with you what its like from the kinship side of the fence. Not making excuses for the GPs but we are given a different message than the one you see on the FP side
I am not sure about Florida law, but in many states foster parents who have had the child in their home for a certain amount of time have the legal right to intervene and become legal parties to the case. If a foster parent intervenes, they can contest a ruling that would remove them from the home. Of course, the ruling may still be upheld but it does give you a voice. Perhaps you could contact a family law lawyer or your foster parent association (floridafapa.org) to find out more about Florida law. It sounds like something you'd need to look into ASAP if you were interested.As a side note, I just read two books by Ashley Rhodes Coulter. She was a foster child in Florida and now, as an adult, she is an advocate for foster care reform in Florida and the United States. Her autobiographies are powerful and may resonate with you especially since you are in the same state.