WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN ALLEGATION IS
FILED !
Be aware that as a
foster parent, you are a allegations target!
You are essentially
riding the allegator(alligator)
When an allegation is filed on you, or
someone in your family it can be the most
devastating thing your family members have ever
experienced.
In most states, if the allegation is involving physical or
sexual abuse your foster children are immediately removed from your
home. Understand that your own children can at
this time be removed also. You
watch helplessly as your children
are being ripped from your loving
arms and away from
their home. The trauma of this
experience is a life altering frightening experience for the
children as well as yourself.
At that time, you are given no explanation for this
disruption
of your normal family
life. You are offered no answers to your questions.
Your immediate reaction is panic. You
pick up the phone and dial your
social worker, who just
yesterday was your Friend.
You must understand that your social worker cannot talk to
you about the
allegation that has been filed. I personally have
seen social workers cry
because they are helpless to assist the people they care
about, they are required to
sever all ties with you immediately upon an
allegation pending.
So, here you are, your children gone, you don’t know where
they have been taken, no one will tell
you anything, no one will talk
to you. You are alone.
You have never felt so isolated, never
experienced this
kind of isolation before in your
entire life.
When the initial shock wears off you begin thinking
logically again.
You begin seeking counsel, with
friends, other foster parents,
family, anyone who will
listen to you. At this point you don't know
to either wait it out hoping that
whatever the allegation is will be found unsubstantiated and
dropped, obtain an
attorney to fight it or try to fight yourself.
You are told that you should obtain the services of an
attorney, not by your
accusers, but by your fellow foster parents, who
have been through this themselves.
If you have saved for this
occurrence you have a
little emergency money set aside for this purpose.
Think about the next step ! What would the it be
! How does one go about locating an attorney
that specializes in legal
problems associated
with Foster Parents. Do you pick up the
yellow pages ? Ok, go
get your telephone yellow pages. Did you
look at it ? Under what heading do you seek
an attorney ? Family
Law is
the workable choice, but it should be
“Administrative Law”.
Unfortunately in most yellow pages you won’t
find this specialized field of law even
listed.
So which attorney do you call ? Your only logical
choice is to
use the attorney a friend or maybe a
fellow foster parent recommends.
Trusting your family in this scenario, to an attorney you
don’t know, you really know nothing about
the attorney's reputation or
his/her capabilities.
Keep in mind, that if you do nothing this allegation
will remain
on your fostering record for up to five
years. If you have
child abuse on your record you
will not be able to obtain employment as a
teacher, teaching
assistant, police officer, child care worker, or
anything involving
children. Even if you are found innocent of
all wrong doing, it will be there for
five years unless you have an
attorney FORCEFULLY
remove it from your record.
Now we come back to the financial side of this
scenario. Attorney’s charge across the country
an average of $250-$450. Per hour
for their
time. They always want a portion of this cash up
front to be
retained as your attorney of record. Do you have $5,000
or even $1,000. Money that can be
re-routed or re-budgeted to this
purpose.
Most of us have the same answer, NO! Especially foster
parents, who traditionally
use all of their financial resources, and then
some, to care for and
love other peoples children as their own.
NOW, go to the page marked
“Why do you need us”,
for an answer to all of these puzzling questions.
Lovingly written, not to frighten, but to warn……by Marilyn
Harrison
National Administrator for Foster Parents Legal Solutions
Protect your
family, call
today ! 1-877-FPA-CHILD
