Court

Without giving away confidential information, I want  to talk about the court process as well as update you on what is going on with Snow White.


First of all, court is a lot of waiting. There was a 9 AM docket, and there were 7 cases on the docket: you wait until you are called.

Second of all, dependency court might be the most depressing place I have ever been. There were kids in all stages of foster care, including two teenagers who were about to begin the adoption process. For them, it will be a long process.

Third of all, it is you and the parents in one giant waiting room. Talk about uncomfortable.


Most court dates seem to be a Judicial Review of the case. The caseworker submits their evaluation of the caseplan, and the court will either approve or disapprove. This one took about 5 seconds, and then Bio Mom began her petition for reunification. This was a little more like what you see in Law and Order. Bio Mom was questioned by her lawyer and was cross examined by the agency's lawyer. The agency (since it was opposed to reunification) called its own witnesses and they were cross examined by mom's lawyer. There were still objections, and pieces of evidence submitted, but it was far more casual than in a criminal case and the burden of proof is way less.

The judge, with-in about 1.5 seconds after closing arguments ended, denied the petition, but agreed that Snow White's parents have started down a positive path and is willing the see them again in September.

OUr judge also asked to hear from us foster parents, which is unusual because we have no legal standing whatsoever. This made me feel really positive about him because I feel that this shows that he wants to whole picture so that he can make the right decision.

So I stood up from my seat in the audience (?) and told them how Snow White was doing and addressed some concerns raised by the mother and her lawyer.

Now about Snow White:

SHe was not at court. She had the right to be but due to what we were talking about, we  thought it would be too emotional for her. Her brother was there, and requested to speak to the judge in private, which he did. He was then asked to leave due to what was being discussed.

Mom and Dad were not happy that I didn't bring Snow WHite. I actually had a conversation with mom on the phone on Saturday, and she talked a big game about wanting to meet me and how she wanted me to always be a part of her daughter's life.

She no longer feels that way.

It wasn't enough that I didn't bring Snow White, but when the judge asked for my report, I basically refuted everything the mother had been saying.

She was pissed.

I didn't refute her for the sake of doing it, but she was trying to claim that Snow White was lying about her abuse and that her medical needs were not being met. I explained what happened at each doctor's visit, what their report was, and then (I had to) added that Snow White has talked about her abuse and I see no reason to doubt her.


So basically it was a lot of talking, a lot of driving, a lot of drama, and a lot of glares so that everything could stay the same.



One piece of advice: take your caseworker to lunch. We took ours to lunch and it went very well. Not only did we get a lot of information and a read on him, but it allowed him to get a read on us. I think that we made a good impression and I really believe that because of the positive meeting, any concerns that we have will be listened to with respect.


Just a suggestion :).