Wednesday is a big day! We have been invited to the permanency conference for our 10-month-old foster boy, Lil Bit. A permanency conference is a meeting that the State holds to discuss a plan for permanency for a foster child with the involved parties.
The first permanency conference is held when a child is first removed, where the plan for permanent placement is almost always reunification with the parents. In this meeting, everything the parent has to do to be reunited with their children is discussed with all the tasks spelled out for them.
Another is held later, especially if the parent has not complied with the permanency plan. My husband and I showed up for one with another foster child, where the case worker didn’t think we should attend and sent us on our way since the State was going to discuss terminating the mother’s parental rights. (She had disappeared for a month and a half on a drug binge)
Remember, our strange day in court last month, where we showed up expecting a hearing on whether or not the baby stays with us or moves to his great-aunt’s home? With the CASA and baby’s ad litem attorney pushing for a familial placement with the great-aunt, we were preparing to pack the baby’s things and say good-bye. We were shocked when the recommendation from the State and CASA was for the baby to remain with us until another hearing in September!
However, last week, through our attorney, I received the status report from the State on this case. The State is moving for terminating the mother’s parental rights! We had no idea! The mother is mentally-challenged and recently moved back in with her abusive grandmother. She has lived in 4 places in 6 months.
Another important thing we learned from the status report is that there is a cousin wanting custody of Lil Bit.
A list of those in line for Lil Bit:
- Lil Bit’s great-aunt – barely passed home study due to previous investigations, but State and others are recommending this familial placement for Lil Bit
- US – foster parents for most of the 10 months of Lil Bit’s life
- The Cons – has Lil Bit’s 5 other siblings and is collecting a disability check on ALL of them (actually told State investigator that they would get Lil Bit by buying the mother “a shiny, new cell phone”)
- AND NOW, A COUSIN HAS COME OUT OF THE WOOD WORK!!!
