Sunday, August 17, 2008

This Week In Review

My actual interactions dealing with foster care this past week.

Phone call: Mrs. (so and so), this is (someone) from CPS. I was wondering if you still had (Lil Middle) in your care?

I thought they had some way of keeping track of these things.......

Letter: Foster Parent,

Please verify whether Booger and Princess are receiving services from ECI. (Early Childhood Intervention)

My Email Response: No Booger and Princess are not receiving ECI services, ECI is not available to children over the age of three.

Their Email Response: We need ECI to provide a written statement as to why Booger and Princess did not receive their services.

My Email Response: Booger and Princess were never evaluated for ECI services. Their pediatrician never referred as they exhibited no occupational delays.

Their Email Response: Please forward to us a statement from ECI stating why Booger and Princess never received their services.

OK Dear ECI Please send me a letter telling me why you never provided services for children you never knew existed.

Our med class revealed that Lil Middle's anti anxiety medication has a side effect of "anxiety, agitation". That's helpful.

Our sitter for next weekend flaked on going to training. That means we cannot leave the kids alone with her while we are out of town. That seems inconvenient. This also rules out our September trip and possibly our October trip. Or take the kids. Nothing says romantic getaway like five kids.

The other foster parent in my life notified me that there will be a visit on Monday. I was not informed of this, although the CW for our children did not notify him either. The CW of the other child he has (mama's minor brother) notified him. Luckily that CW understands that I cannot personally transport six kids 3.5 hours by myself and that CW has set up transport for the family to come here. FINALLY. To be clear about that I did offer to transport the kids to visits. THREE YEARS AGO, when the visit was maybe once a month and only 40 miles away. 18 months ago they called and said they were picking up the kids because they weren't able to see mama enough. At that point I agreed to take my three and their brother. I did not EVER think that three and a half years into this I would be expected to take every minor child associated with this family wherever they needed to go, whenever they needed to get there. I guess I'm just too nice, bet you'd never have guessed that.

1 comment:

Sugar-n-Spice said...

i'm behind on commenting, but you should know i read EVERY word. and I'm sure i'm laughing my head off at all the most inappropriate places. almost all of it sounds very familiar. and with familiarity their is comfort. and non-aloneness. ah, to be understood.

a brand spankin' new foster parent (like, 3 days) emailed me. she wanted to know if she could take her new little guy to the doctor. she had no episodic forms, had no idea who his primary physician was, and only had his medicaid number because she asked for it. how's that for someone doing their job?

oh, and "oops. i adopted." had my side HURTING!!!! i've often wondered if my Blessing would feel rejected. it's so hard for me to understand because i ached for her SO MUCH! every last one of my bio kids were ooops babies. Blessing, was desired from the depths of my heart, and worked for!