Norma's Volunteer Story, Part 9

Norma:

I met with Ernie and his mother so I could get to know them a little better. Ernie reported he had just received a job offer as a mechanic, which would be great to present at the next hearing. If Ernie was stable enough to maintain a job, he would be able to aid the children financially. Ernie's mother informed me she would be delighted to help Ernie with Robert and Rose, if in fact, Rose was his daughter.  Ernie expressed his excitement for getting to reconnect with Robert after the home study on his and Anita's living situation cleared. 

The same day, I drove over to visit Robert and Rose at their temporary foster home. When I first got to the home, the children were coloring and Robert seemed timid about speaking with me. Although I did come to visit the children, the first thing I did was speak with Anne Franklin, their foster mother. I wanted to hear her analysis of the condition of the children. Anne informed me she was worried about Rose's development.  She was nine-months-old but couldn't crawl or sit up on her own. She also never made any sounds except for when crying. I visited for about an hour with Robert and played with Rose.

The next day I drove to visit Ben, who was staying with his Aunt Carol, near Plainview. Because he was older, it was much easier for me to explain my role to him. Once inside and comfortable, I informed him I was here to listen to his needs and act in his best interest.  Ben explained he loved his mother and wanted to see her, but he was concerned about having to go back to living with her. He knew it was difficult for her to take care of them.

Ben wanted to live at his aunt's house, but he had taken on the role of caretaker so often when mom wasn't around, he feared what would happen to Robert and Rose the next time she disappeared.

I asked Ben to exit the room for a while so Carol and I could speak in private. I asked her how she thought Ben was doing overall. She said he seemed to love the open space the country provided and he got along great with his cousins who were of similar age. She had taken him to their family physician to make sure everything was normal and so most importantly, he could pick up his asthma medicine. Ben would be starting classes at a new school the following Monday and we were all eager to hear reports of his adjustment. 

After meeting with everyone, I called my CASA supervisor to discuss the case, ask her a few questions, and talk about my recommendations.  After much thought and deliberation, I thought it best for Robert to go live with his father and grandmother. I also thought Rose should be placed in the home if the ordered paternity test proved Ernie the biological father.  Otherwise, Rose should stay in her current foster placement and CPS should strive to identify her biological father.

After visiting with Ben and Carol, it seemed best for Ben to stay with his aunt. He seemed at peace and loved it there. Ben did mention he wanted to see his siblings even if he couldn't currently be with them.  The only way I predicted the children being able to live together again was in the event that Kathy underwent a substance abuse assessment and followed the recommendations made by the judge.

It really bothered me at this stage in her life Rose wasn't walking or crawling so I recommended both Kathy and Ernie be enrolled in parenting classes while Rose was enrolled in developmental classes.  Lastly, I recommended the siblings be allowed visitation with each other weekly and weekly visitation with their mother, Kathy.  

The next morning, I called the kids CPS caseworker, Bob Johnson. I needed to discuss the case again. Bob briefed me on the current standings. The current case plan for Rose and Ben was reunification with Kathy Price while the plan for Ben was for him to be adopted by his aunt. The results had come back and Ernie was determined to be the father of Rose, so until Kathy had met all requirements the court set in place, Rose and Robert would stay with Ernie and Dashee, his mother.  Now that I had spoken with all parties in order to gather voices for recommendations, I was prepared for the upcoming hearing.

New volunteer training starts in Lubbock on March 18. CASA needs volunteers like you to advocate on behalf of foster children. More than 500 foster children in the South Plains area went without an advocate in 2012. Call Peggy, our Recruitment and Training Director, at 806-763-2272 or email peggye@lubbockcasa.org to talk about becoming a volunteer. Peggy has been with CASA for 15 years and knows the ins and outs of our organization.