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
