http://decouplingblog.com/2009/05/little-girl-poca-and-our-foster-care-system-why-public-outcry-may-not-help-her-5-of-5/ Explaining and Discussing Washington Family Law Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:41:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://decouplingblog.com/2009/05/little-girl-poca-and-our-foster-care-system-why-public-outcry-may-not-help-her-5-of-5/comment-page-1/#comment-58 Jean N Sat, 16 May 2009 02:02:54 +0000 http://decouplingblog.com/?p=1777#comment-58 In general I think this was a very good series, and showed the problems faced by the child protection system, as well as the foster families and the biological families in trying to do what is best for the child without doing more harm. But, I think that the earlier part which talked about the Langley's shipping Taylor off to a farm was unecessarily negative, and didn't consider what the Langley's might have tried prior to this, and why they felt that it was necessary. The fact is that they are charged with protecting the other kids in the house, and it is possible that pulling Taylor out of the home was the only way to do that. The author did not know if the Langleys had tried finding other solutions through CPS. I know a family that was in the same position, trying to care for several children with one who was violent, and would try to kill the others. Because this child was only 5, no inpatient treatment center would take her, and CPS wouldn't remove the child without her siblings, so these poor girls were placed into another foster home, where the violent sibling eventually seriously injured her younger sister. Only then did the social worker agree to separate the girls, and by that time, they had been moved 3 times in just a few months and didn't feel that they could trust anybody. Why was this allowed to happen? What can be done about it? I also know a girl (my foster niece) who was with the same foster mother for several years, but was pulled out after the biological mother died, and the biological father refused to terminate parental rights. The father did not want the child or her several siblings, so they were all sent to another state to live with their maternal grandmother, who was totally overwhelmed. The government's problem was solved, but at who's expense? The kids'. Our system has many problems, and no easy fixes. We all need to see the big picture and try to do what is best for the child. In general I think this was a very good series, and showed the problems faced by the child protection system, as well as the foster families and the biological families in trying to do what is best for the child without doing more harm.
But, I think that the earlier part which talked about the Langley’s shipping Taylor off to a farm was unecessarily negative, and didn’t consider what the Langley’s might have tried prior to this, and why they felt that it was necessary. The fact is that they are charged with protecting the other kids in the house, and it is possible that pulling Taylor out of the home was the only way to do that. The author did not know if the Langleys had tried finding other solutions through CPS.
I know a family that was in the same position, trying to care for several children with one who was violent, and would try to kill the others. Because this child was only 5, no inpatient treatment center would take her, and CPS wouldn’t remove the child without her siblings, so these poor girls were placed into another foster home, where the violent sibling eventually seriously injured her younger sister. Only then did the social worker agree to separate the girls, and by that time, they had been moved 3 times in just a few months and didn’t feel that they could trust anybody. Why was this allowed to happen?
What can be done about it?
I also know a girl (my foster niece) who was with the same foster mother for several years, but was pulled out after the biological mother died, and the biological father refused to terminate parental rights. The father did not want the child or her several siblings, so they were all sent to another state to live with their maternal grandmother, who was totally overwhelmed. The government’s problem was solved, but at who’s expense? The kids’.
Our system has many problems, and no easy fixes. We all need to see the big picture and try to do what is best for the child.

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