AboutRachel Expertise I can answer questions about fostering - What's it like to be a foster carer? Who to go to for help? Experiences with troubled children. Attachment problems. Leaving care. Long term fostering. Dealing with birth families. Working with schools, statements, EBD schools.
Experience My husband and I have been foster carers for over five years and we are currently long term carers for two boys. We have had one boy from the age of 9 to 14 years who is with us long term. We have done short term respite care, one year seeing a sixteen year old girl through to leaving care and long term care of another boy from age 10-11
Expert: Rachel Date: 3/22/2007 Subject: returning children to bio parents care
Question Hi there! Okay i have a bit of a question/ advice needed desperatly, this is a bit of a confusing story..
I met my husband 3 years ago, he had one daughter.. At the time his ex was pregnant with the next mans' child. Once the second child was born there were some issues with her father and the two of them split up.. She met another man, got pregnant by him. Directly after have the 3rd baby the mother signed over custody of my step daughter to my husband. We had talked to social services many times regarding the mother, she would tell us straight out that people were doing drugs aroudn the kids, that she left them home alone etc.. 2 months after recievign custody of my step duaghter her other 2 children were finally taken from the home.. At the time they were put into a foster home and a couple of months later brought to live with my husband and I as well as their older sister.. The two younger children at the time were aged 7 months, and 2 years 1 month.. The children have both lived with us now for 9 months making their total time away from their mother 14 months. We supervise the mothers visits. She barely visits for more then an hour a week.. Anyway, we have obviously become very attached to these girls, look at them as our own as well as our family. The mothers case comes up in July to find out if she gets the kids back or not at the time being 17 months the children will be out of the home. Just wondering from your perspective, how often do the parents get the children back into their care.. She has not taken any of the courses asked from her as well.. I can't imagine the girls not living here!
Thanks for the help!
Amy
Answer Hi Amy
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
In this instance I believe that the mother would need to prove herself capable of looking after the children - providing them with a safe and stable environment. There would normally need to be a number of assessments over a period of time by social workers. They would look at whether the residence was available long term, who was living there, was it clean and suitable for the children, is the mother able to care for the children, is the mother free of drugs and alcohol etc.
A lot depends on the type of custody you have - was it a voluntary or compulsory care order? If it was the former, the mother would have more rights.
