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Should the child be allowed to remain with the foster family

  • yes

    Votes: 5 62.5%
  • no

    Votes: 3 37.5%

  • Total voters
    8

Sugar Cookie

Veteran Member
Bold Member!
If something should happen to your children, do you have any right to be in your grandchildren’s lives?

One grandmother is sharing her story hoping it isn’t too late for her to make sure her grandson is not lost to foster care.

Darlene Pender’s grandson and his dad used to live with her in New York. Then in November 2016, she says the baby’s mom took him to visit friends in Garden City, Michigan. She never imagined her grandson would never come home.

“I don’t want to cry,” Pender said. “But we love him. We never stopped loving him.”

According to court documents, the child’s 19-year-old mom left her son with a friend in Garden City and returned home to New York. The friend called police and reported him abandoned.

Pender says as soon as she found out she called and asked if she could pick him up. Authorities called back and told her he was immediately placed with foster care.

“Why didn't they call me and tell me he is foster care? Why didn’t they tell me, 'hey something happened, your grandson is here, come pick him up,'” Pender asked.

Pender says her son is in recovery for opioid addiction. She says she is a loving and qualified grandmother. She was working with the New York Office of Children and Family
Services as a licensed social worker when this happened, and says she called authorities in New York and Michigan to ask for a home study, but the caseworkers kept changing.

Despite Pender's best efforts, it took more than a year to get a home study done. “They took their time," she said. "They switched judges. They switched workers. They did so many wrong things here."

“The grandmother raised her hand and said I am out here," Martin said. "I want to take custody of my grandkid in November 2016."

The foster family has grown attached to the little boy they have cared for now for two years, and has hired an attorney to try to get permanent custody.

For now, this grandma is going to continue coming to Michigan every month for every court-granted visit with her grandson. Some have been for a couple of hours, other visits have lasted a few days. She is hoping to one day bring him home.

“I am never going to step out of his life, and I am hoping I never have to not see him for a long period of time,” Pender said.
https://www.wxyz.com/news/grandmoth...IZW4Del9Ln5FXqEq08eiF9z5q-3ZLkZVROWzS3EuYVhfU
 
Either the problem is interstate bureacracy that is more interested in busywork or there is an important aspect to the story we are not hearing about.
if the foster family is so invested, maybe the kindest thing for the child is to let him be adopted and keep the secure home he has.
What are they really fighting for? Their fantasy of family or the genuine wellbeing of the child.?
 
"Opioid recovery" since 2016. Sounds like dad's an addict who doesn't care. 2yrs is more than enough time to get clean and fight for custody of your son. I honestly don't have a legal opinion on this one, like Sej said there are way to many irons in the fire here. But I mean if he's with a really good family I'd be inclined to let them keep him as long as they are cool with letting Grandma be Grandma.
 
@Sugar Cookie maybe you know if this is still happening.
It used to be that the Fed gov gave the agency $5,000.00 when a child was adopted.

This is the only thing that makes sense. That boy needs to be with his family. Unless... He's begging not to go there.
This is a strange case.
 
@Keepalowprofile

All states are different, New York definitely does.

I did plan to write an opinion on the article but I wanted to be able to advocate for the pros and cons and what could be the planning agency's reason for wanting the child to remain with the foster parents.

But the main thing for me is that the father is fighting to keep custody-was the bio-mom surrendering her rights to the child. Was he legally the father-name on BC.
 
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