Duh People

My biggest gripe about foster care, and there are many, has to be caseload workers. The paper pushing licensed professionals who couldn't pick you out of a line up, but are the people who are supposed to be your support system.

Last year our town was in an uproar because a child died in foster care. The paper talked about the condition of the child's room, the stresses that the foster mother had been under, the discipline techniques that the foster parents used. The reported atrocities were many, everyone wondered how this could happen.

Being on the other side, I'll tell you. We've recently changed case workers. She's been our caseload worker for four or so months. She's spent approximately one hour in home, total. I don't think she's looked in the babies room. I know she doesn't know how we discipline. She's never asked how I was doing, and even if she did, I probably wouldn't tell her as she is a stranger. As of the date of this posting she has "moved on" but we will soon be going through this again.

God forbid anything should happen to one of our children who are still in foster care. Texas law supposedly mandates that kids shouldn't spend more than one year in care, we're well past three. My family has no one with the proper letters behind their name that has been in our house and knows us. I don't doubt that we have friends that would be there for us, but juries like letters, even without relationship.

The sad thing is I know of several couples who have foster licenses and for whatever reason have never been asked to take in a child. 'Tis Christmas time, all we hear of is all the children out there that need a family. Hey people, there are families that need a child. Take some time to look for them, otherwise they'll have to make the choice to go private. Then we can all continue to whine about how foster children are forgotten children, and complain about the rich people buying babies from the poor. That is not the case, but what matter is truth when it makes for good news?