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wow- sounds like the county I work with is so much different than others....
The county I work with the most has used their "power" and actually threatened foster parents that they will remove every child from their care if they make any waves (like asking for a GAL, as an example), Including their bio children. They have taken reports from other in-home workers on the case and pretty much thrown them out and come up with their own idea of what is right. They have worked with one family for YEARS and spent God-knows how much money on in-home services to keep the kids in the home- and thru it one boy was sexually abused by mom's boyfriend and another ended up in the emergency room with a skull fracture (the same family)... this is the way DFC thinks cases should be handled.
On the other hand, the judge over this area hears input from the workers (social workers from agencies that do in-home services), the foster parents, and of course the DFC. I have sat in his court and heard the county make recommendations and the Judge question it and re-set hearings in order to find out more information about a situation (especially where there is a criminal matter pending in a different court). He seems very thourough and fair in his findings.
For this area, this law could be disasterous. I can only draw conclusions from the experiences that I have had. I wish I had more confidence in their integrity.
Thanks for telling me how your different areas worked. I'm glad to know that everywhere is not like this. The burn-out rate in this area is pretty high for foster parents. The system is killing us off slowly......
pray for us.
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