Hearing Officer

Good morning all. I have 3 kids...two foster (bio brothers) and 1 adopted.
The last court hearing for the two boys was the hearing that the agency was
moving to terminate rights. Now it has been the same judge for 2 years...when
they got to court, the case had been assigned to a hearing officer who had no
previous knowledge of the case which resulted in her putting a hold on the case
for 1 year.

That will put the kids out 3 years...Mom does not visit regularly, has not
completed her services and so on and so on and so on...you know the story. Do
people feel this is normal system crap or unusual and is there anything I as a
foster parent can do?

Baffled in Big Rock

I almost forgot...does anybody know what a hearing officer is and what their
qualifications are?

Thanks,

Dave

"DnABoston" wrote in message
...
I almost forgot...does anybody know what a hearing officer is and what
their
qualifications are?

Thanks,

Dave

What State do you reside in? That will help.

Thanks for caring enough to make a difference in the lives of these
children.

To (maybe) help to clarify the time period being flung further out there,
know that the verbiage in the ASFA and Amendments calls for a plan to be in
place for permancy within the proscribed time period. Contrary to what some
folks assert that the rights are terminated in 12-15 months.

It will help for you to retain a lawyer. Yes, doesn't seem fair, doesn't
sound "right" but - it works to have a well-trained and experienced advocate
in circumstances like yours appears to be.

If appropriate and if advised to do so by your lawyer, some folks have filed
a Motion for Concurrent Permanency Planning - or whatever it might be called
in your jurisdiction. As a foster parent, ostensibly you have "standing"
with the Court. Reality is that foster caregivers, especially
kincaregivers, are shuffled off, shrugged off and pretty much sent out of
the picture. It IS important that you establish "Standing" in the court, in
the case or cases. You can assert your rights as a foster parent and as an
Intervenor.

I have seen rare cases where an Intervenor may bring the circumstances to a
head by requesting that a Judge hear the issues and order Termination and in
other cases (again, rare), Permanancy Orders. Keep in mind, however, that
cps might get tee'd off and too much of what they might consider
"interference (see: legally ok Intervention)" may harm your relationship
with the agency. This, again, "doesn't seem right". And isn't. But it's
factual.

Do the children have a guardian ad litem appointed? If so, is it a
volunteer or lawyer. Further, what is their position, if any?

Hope this might help,
Sherman.

Sherry sent in:

Reality is that foster caregivers, especially
kincaregivers, are shuffled off, shrugged off and pretty much sent out of
the picture. It IS important that yo

Why would that be? Why would KIN have fewer rights than strangers?

I know some hypothetical responses to this, but really, the young teen was so
distressed :

"I have family." She told me. " Why am I in a group home?"


Sherman answered the potential adoptor thusly:

Subject: Hearing Officer
From: "Sherman"
Date: 7/18/2004 12:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id:


"DnABoston" wrote in message
...
I almost forgot...does anybody know what a hearing officer is and what
their
qualifications are?

Thanks,

Dave

What State do you reside in? That will help.

Thanks for caring enough to make a difference in the lives of these
children.

To (maybe) help to clarify the time period being flung further out there,
know that the verbiage in the ASFA and Amendments calls for a plan to be in
place for permancy within the proscribed time period. Contrary to what some
folks assert that the rights are terminated in 12-15 months.

It will help for you to retain a lawyer. Yes, doesn't seem fair, doesn't
sound "right" but - it works to have a well-trained and experienced advocate
in circumstances like yours appears to be.

If appropriate and if advised to do so by your lawyer, some folks have filed
a Motion for Concurrent Permanency Planning - or whatever it might be called
in your jurisdiction. As a foster parent, ostensibly you have "standing"
with the Court. Reality is that foster caregivers, especially
kincaregivers, are shuffled off, shrugged off and pretty much sent out of
the picture. It IS important that you establish "Standing" in the court, in
the case or cases. You can assert your rights as a foster parent and as an
Intervenor.

I have seen rare cases where an Intervenor may bring the circumstances to a
head by requesting that a Judge hear the issues and order Termination and in
other cases (again, rare), Permanancy Orders. Keep in mind, however, that
cps might get tee'd off and too much of what they might consider
"interference (see: legally ok Intervention)" may harm your relationship
with the agency. This, again, "doesn't seem right". And isn't. But it's
factual.

Do the children have a guardian ad litem appointed? If so, is it a
volunteer or lawyer. Further, what is their position, if any?

Hope this might help,
Sherman.

"Fern5827" wrote in message
...
Sherry sent in:

Reality is that foster caregivers, especially
kincaregivers, are shuffled off, shrugged off and pretty much sent out of
the picture. It IS important that yo

Why would that be? Why would KIN have fewer rights than strangers?

I know some hypothetical responses to this, but really, the young teen was
so
distressed :

"I have family." She told me. " Why am I in a group home?"

And you responded by offering your home as a foster care home for her in her
interim removal? Is this the referenced child, the only child that you have
had slight information on other than your grandchild and your daughter's
problems?

If you actually read my response, I mentioned nothing - zero - about kin
having fewer "rights" than anyone else. As a matter of fact, they have more
than others when it comes to consideration of offering foster care and a
verifiable safe family home for their kin.

There is a problem among some cps agencies with bias, however. The abusive
/ neglectful bio did not happen in a vacuum and the parents of the bio are
looked at with a bit of hesitance and perhaps rightfully so. Individual
caseworkers have their own sets of bias too and it sometimes tends to get in
the way of the case at hand. Thankfully, this does not seem to be as
pervasive as some elderly uninformed individuals who want to harangue folks,
wanting to know if they are a "crossdresser"!

You know nothing - zero - about foster care requirements and have no ability
to help the poster. Hopefully, Dave will disregard your senile rantings
here.

And, I forget, what was your "Masters" in again?

Sherman.

She Man this is what you wrote:

Reality is that foster caregivers, especially
kincaregivers, are shuffled off, shrugged off and pretty much sent out of
the picture. It IS important that yo


Are you afflicted with dementia?

I will retype in caps

REALITY IS THAT FOSTER CAREGIVERS, ESPECIALLY KINCAREGIVERS ARE SHRUGGED OFFAND
PRETTY MUCH SENT OUT OF THE PICTURE.

"Fern5827" wrote in message
...
She Man this is what you wrote:

Reality is that foster caregivers, especially
kincaregivers, are shuffled off, shrugged off and pretty much sent out
of
the picture. It IS important that yo


Are you afflicted with dementia?

I will retype in caps

REALITY IS THAT FOSTER CAREGIVERS, ESPECIALLY KINCAREGIVERS ARE SHRUGGED
OFFAND
PRETTY MUCH SENT OUT OF THE PICTURE.

Yes, unfortunately, there is a lot of bias among dhs agency folks. That is
the reality. Those who care and are able need to help work towards reform
and to shine lights upon the issues that surround this bias. Unfortunately,
there are far too many people, like yourself, that "prove" to the agency
that they are unable to deal with reality in the case of the safety of their
grandchild.

Truth gets ya' going, doesn't it, Jersey dirty water recycler?

I am responding to the poster who wanted help. What in the world are YOU
doing? You know zero about foster care and about cps. Get out of this
newsgroup, you don't belong. You have nothing to offer except
misinformation and flat-out stupid "advise". I see that you are posting to
a spanking newsgroup. Nuts, you are...

Have you applied to become a foster parent yet. Or are you able to.

Btw, hardly any dementia. How about you, old one?

What was your professed "Master's Degree" in again? I don't think that I
read your responses to this or else missed it. I'm about ready to call you
on it and say that you made it all up. Duh.

"It's about the children",
Sherman.