[tinatyme]

I picked up my newest fd from the hospital a little more than a week ago. They did a shelter hearing that week and the judge granted shelter. When I talked to the parent worker this morning about setting up a visit with bmom she says "What about on Thursday? That is if she doesn't go home tomorrow."

What?

So I say "hmmm. . . is that a possibility?" and she tells me that there is a merit hearing tomorrow and that the judge could return custody to the mother or have her remain in DSS custody and they would start a reunification plan. Now, when I spoke to the other sw a week ago she told me that the merit hearing was in order for the department to prove that they had cause to remove the child and that custody would not be changing hands. Now I don't know what to believe.

I asked the parent worker "Do you think that it is likely she will be returned to her bmom?" and she says "Well, she is doing what she is supposed to."

What!!

She had a baby removed from her a week and a half ago because it tested positive for drugs and she has 4 other children that are going through the system.

I am just now very nervous that she could be returned to this mother without her even being on a reunification plan or monitored. Is that possible? My mother said that the parent worker has to be supportive of reunification and that she can't honestly give an assessment of what is going to happen at court but now I'm nervous. What do you think?

Tina

[Becki_in_IN]

Every CHINS child has one of these. In our state, it is called a CHINS hearing to see if the child is in need of services. DSS has to prove their case against the parents. If they do the child stays in foster care and the case plan for reunification starts. If they can't prove it then the child goes home. This has nothing to do with what the mom has done since the child was removed. It does have to do with DSS having a substantiated case.

[tinatyme]

That's great to know Becki. Thank you. It is in line with what the child worker told me that it was about substantiating the case. When I talked to the parent worker she made it sound like it was about the parent's progress which didn't make sense considering it has only been two weeks. I haven't heard anything from the social workers yet. I'm planning on calling later today to find out how the hearing went.

Tina