>Kinship Guardianship

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When a child’s parents are in trouble and can no longer care for their child, often foster care is called for. But, for some fortunate children, grandparents or other family members step in to fill the role of parents.

In Mason County a support group for those with kinship guardianship of children meets every month at Mason County Reformed Church to share the joys and trials of raising those children. Most of them are grandparents, and the group is informally called Grandparents Raising Grandchildren although according to the group’s leader, June McMann, it is more accurate to think of it as kinship guardianship.

Full Article and Source:
Kinship guardianship: Parenting all over again

Kinship Guardianship

When a child’s parents are in trouble and can no longer care for their child, often foster care is called for. But, for some fortunate children, grandparents or other family members step in to fill the role of parents.

In Mason County a support group for those with kinship guardianship of children meets every month at Mason County Reformed Church to share the joys and trials of raising those children. Most of them are grandparents, and the group is informally called Grandparents Raising Grandchildren although according to the group’s leader, June McMann, it is more accurate to think of it as kinship guardianship.

Full Article and Source:
Kinship guardianship: Parenting all over again

>Fewer Kids in Foster Care

>

Slightly more than a decade ago, 52,000 children were in the custody of the State of Illinois.

Over the years that number dropped considerably — to nearly 16,000 — due to relatives stepping up to keep families together. However, African-Americans still dominate the group, said a spokesman for the Department of Children and Family Services.

As of April 30, there were 15,912 children statewide in foster care. In Cook County, there were 6,816. Of that county total, 79 percent are African-American, according to DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe.

Foster care is the temporary placement of children outside their homes due to abuse, neglect or dependency. Wards of the state are either in non-relative foster homes, homes with a relative, or in group homes or centers.

Marlowe: “The ultimate goal is to return the child home once issues are resolved. When that’s not an option, the department advocates for subsidized guardianship or seeks adoption for the child.”

Full Article and Source:
Fewer kids in foster care than a decade ago

Fewer Kids in Foster Care

Slightly more than a decade ago, 52,000 children were in the custody of the State of Illinois.

Over the years that number dropped considerably — to nearly 16,000 — due to relatives stepping up to keep families together. However, African-Americans still dominate the group, said a spokesman for the Department of Children and Family Services.

As of April 30, there were 15,912 children statewide in foster care. In Cook County, there were 6,816. Of that county total, 79 percent are African-American, according to DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe.

Foster care is the temporary placement of children outside their homes due to abuse, neglect or dependency. Wards of the state are either in non-relative foster homes, homes with a relative, or in group homes or centers.

Marlowe: “The ultimate goal is to return the child home once issues are resolved. When that’s not an option, the department advocates for subsidized guardianship or seeks adoption for the child.”

Full Article and Source:
Fewer kids in foster care than a decade ago

>Fighting For Grandkids

>

Kathie Good has been fighting for five months to regain temporary custody of her grandkids.

Her voluntary revelation about a 24-year-old incident has become the latest hurdle in her quest and may be one too big to overcome. That she refused to believe her daughter hurt her grandson was one of the first hurdles.

The kids were turned over to the S.C. Department of Social Services in November after doctors were concerned about what they noticed during repeated doctor visits. According to court documents, doctors found bruises on the back and elsewhere of Good’s infant grandson, broken blood vessels in his eyes and swelling on his penis.

A specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina concurred with the concerns of the doctors.

Good’s son-in-law was charged with abuse.

DSS suspects Good’s daughter of neglect.

Good, who had temporary custody, believed the court rulings allowed supervised contact between her daughter and grandkids, which is why she let her daughter visit. DSS and the guardian ad litem said it wasn’t allowed.

This isn’t about suspected child abuse. That case will play itself out in the courts. The parents will be found guilty or not guilty in due time. This is about a grandmother and her grandkids, foster care and family placement, and the hurdles involved.

Full Article and Source:
Issac Bailey Foster care decision in kids’ interest?

Fighting For Grandkids

Kathie Good has been fighting for five months to regain temporary custody of her grandkids.

Her voluntary revelation about a 24-year-old incident has become the latest hurdle in her quest and may be one too big to overcome. That she refused to believe her daughter hurt her grandson was one of the first hurdles.

The kids were turned over to the S.C. Department of Social Services in November after doctors were concerned about what they noticed during repeated doctor visits. According to court documents, doctors found bruises on the back and elsewhere of Good’s infant grandson, broken blood vessels in his eyes and swelling on his penis.

A specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina concurred with the concerns of the doctors.

Good’s son-in-law was charged with abuse.

DSS suspects Good’s daughter of neglect.

Good, who had temporary custody, believed the court rulings allowed supervised contact between her daughter and grandkids, which is why she let her daughter visit. DSS and the guardian ad litem said it wasn’t allowed.

This isn’t about suspected child abuse. That case will play itself out in the courts. The parents will be found guilty or not guilty in due time. This is about a grandmother and her grandkids, foster care and family placement, and the hurdles involved.

Full Article and Source:
Issac Bailey Foster care decision in kids’ interest?

>Grandparents Lose Guardianship

>

When the Department of Children’s Services took Alena from her mother for neglect, her grandparents jumped in. John and Cindy Moffit took her from DCS custody at 8 months, put her in her own carefully decorated room and loved her.

“Then the circus began,” said John Moffit.

Alena’s mother sued to regain custody, as did a woman named Terri Rivera. Rivera isn’t a blood relative but claimed to have taken care of Alena before the Moffits stepped in.

Rivera had been arrested in 1999 for hiring a hit man to kill her then-husband for $500. When the hit man didn’t follow through, Rivera confessed to putting black widow spiders in her husband’s bed. She was charged with attempted murder for the spiders. She pleaded down to aggravated assault and solicitation to commit murder and was put on 12 years probation, which was violated in 2003 for marijuana.

The Moffits figured this was a simple case and decided to represent themselves. Surely, they thought, the court would not give Alena to a non-blood relative with such a criminal record.

So the Moffits representing themselves made a critical legal mistake in their pleadings. Opposing attorneys demanded they be removed from the case. Forced by law, the judge dismissed the Moffits’ attempt to win permanent guardianship.

The judge was left to rule between the DCS-judged unfit mother and Rivera. The grandparents had no rights and no case.

Rivera won permanent guardianship.

Full Article and Source:
Grandparents Fight To Regain Custody Of Child – 2-Year-Old Given To Woman Charged With Attempted Murder

Grandparents Lose Guardianship

When the Department of Children’s Services took Alena from her mother for neglect, her grandparents jumped in. John and Cindy Moffit took her from DCS custody at 8 months, put her in her own carefully decorated room and loved her.

“Then the circus began,” said John Moffit.

Alena’s mother sued to regain custody, as did a woman named Terri Rivera. Rivera isn’t a blood relative but claimed to have taken care of Alena before the Moffits stepped in.

Rivera had been arrested in 1999 for hiring a hit man to kill her then-husband for $500. When the hit man didn’t follow through, Rivera confessed to putting black widow spiders in her husband’s bed. She was charged with attempted murder for the spiders. She pleaded down to aggravated assault and solicitation to commit murder and was put on 12 years probation, which was violated in 2003 for marijuana.

The Moffits figured this was a simple case and decided to represent themselves. Surely, they thought, the court would not give Alena to a non-blood relative with such a criminal record.

So the Moffits representing themselves made a critical legal mistake in their pleadings. Opposing attorneys demanded they be removed from the case. Forced by law, the judge dismissed the Moffits’ attempt to win permanent guardianship.

The judge was left to rule between the DCS-judged unfit mother and Rivera. The grandparents had no rights and no case.

Rivera won permanent guardianship.

Full Article and Source:
Grandparents Fight To Regain Custody Of Child – 2-Year-Old Given To Woman Charged With Attempted Murder

>Grandparent-Rights Bill

>

Jacque Evanson had raised her grandchildren for seven years when her daughter came back into the picture. Though Evanson had guardianship, her daughter simply had to petition the court to regain custody of the three kids.

The judge “strongly recommended” the children get visitation with their grandmother. Then their mom moved them to her home in Washington state. Since then, Evanson has had minimal contact with them.

Though she ultimately wants the kids to be with their mother, Evanson feels like she also should have some rights after raising them for so many years. That’s why she’s visited the Capitol several times over the past few months to testify on behalf of the grandparent-rights bills presented at the 2009 Montana Legislature.

House Bill 397 establishes a close-relative registry so close relatives, such as grandparents, can sign up to be notified if the state removes a child from his or her home.

House Bill 403 asks the court to consider a child’s need for continuity of care along with the other criteria when determining whether the child should be placed with someone other than a parent. The bill asks the court to look at whether the child will remain in the same area, continue at the same school and other such issues when making the judgment.

Full Article and Source:
Legislature considering a half-dozen grandparent bills

More information:
Thousands of Montana grandparents are raising their kids’ kids, and it isn’t easy

Grandparent-Rights Bill

Jacque Evanson had raised her grandchildren for seven years when her daughter came back into the picture. Though Evanson had guardianship, her daughter simply had to petition the court to regain custody of the three kids.

The judge “strongly recommended” the children get visitation with their grandmother. Then their mom moved them to her home in Washington state. Since then, Evanson has had minimal contact with them.

Though she ultimately wants the kids to be with their mother, Evanson feels like she also should have some rights after raising them for so many years. That’s why she’s visited the Capitol several times over the past few months to testify on behalf of the grandparent-rights bills presented at the 2009 Montana Legislature.

House Bill 397 establishes a close-relative registry so close relatives, such as grandparents, can sign up to be notified if the state removes a child from his or her home.

House Bill 403 asks the court to consider a child’s need for continuity of care along with the other criteria when determining whether the child should be placed with someone other than a parent. The bill asks the court to look at whether the child will remain in the same area, continue at the same school and other such issues when making the judgment.

Full Article and Source:
Legislature considering a half-dozen grandparent bills

More information:
Thousands of Montana grandparents are raising their kids’ kids, and it isn’t easy