Case notes

A few Goings On in the next few months...

We have a Report and Review court date in June. The girls' cw told me they need to be there...and totally acted like I wasn't supposed to be, then when I spoke with our cw about how the girls would get there she emphasized that I was REQUIRED to be there, by phone at LEAST, but that it would be better to be there in person.  Apparently, this is when the foster parents are supposed to report on how the kids are doing in the home. It is one of the few times when we get to be heard, and the CPS cw apparently doesn't think that is important. *sigh* SO...an eight our round trip is on the schedule for June.

The teens may also be starting visitations with Bio Dad. It isn't guaranteed, just "in the works". Ya, that could mean anywhere from a couple weeks to never. I am not even sure if this is something that will be decided in court in June, or if it is up to the cw's discretion. The girls are excited about the possibility though, especially Bella. I wouldn't have chosen to tell them and get hopes up about something that MAY happen, but the cw needed actual confirmation from the girls that they wanted visitation. The girls' have already been having phone contact with Bio Dad for the past couple weeks (supervised *speaker phone* calls), but the cw wasn't sure that would mean they would be okay with face to face contact. They talk to their dad almost every night, a fact that did not seem to please the cw when I mentioned it when she called today. These calls are authorized, but I think she believed the contact would be more sporadic. I support the calls though. The girls need this contact with their only living parent. To deny them that would be cruel. Their father is very respectful and appropriate and supportive of the girls and before he hangs up each night he prays with them. Which I think is wonderful. He is far from perfect, but from what I hear he is trying his best to become the father his girls need. I pray he can make the changes needed and stick with them because that would be the best outcome for our girls. I don't know what the court view is though. With CPS things can go any which way and I don't have a clue if they are even considering reunification with Bio Dad! The possibility of visitation is a good sign though, so we will pray for the best.

Despite visitations it looks like we may have the girls a good long while. Even if Bio Dad is considered he won't be an option for at least 6 months to a year while he completes his treatment program. The Aunt and Uncle that were being homestudied to take the girls may no longer be a possibility. It's not official, but an email to Sunshine made it clear that they are no longer wanting the girls to come live with them. It was rather harsh, but other than being a bit annoyed at the tone of the message the girls handled it calmly. In Sunshine's words (with a shrug) "I'd rather stay here for six months until we can go with my Dad anyway." I was a bit surprised, and grateful that they are happy and comfortable here. Things may change (like 50 times) as we go through the next few months, but it is good to know they are okay with being here for awhile.