I’ll take a day at Riker’s over Family Court Anytime

I have to admit, I was a bit retraumatized by reading on Fosterwee that Blitzen’s 1-year Permanency Hearing is this week. Surely nothing will be decided as “permanency hearing” is an oxymoron- but still, it brings all of the emotions of uncertainty, powerlessness and anxiety to the forefront.

Every time I’ve attended permanency hearings my presence visibly caused the attorneys, all of them, discomfort. Most foster parents in nyc don’t attend court even though we receive a personal invite in the mail. I think it’s assumed unless adoption is imminent, a foster parent showing up to court is antagonistic.

NYSCCC has amassed a fab resource list of court proceedings if you’re interested.

And Carrie, don’t even think about trying to get the Permanency Hearing Report errors corrected. After everyone picks up the pieces of their brains that have blown out from learning that a foster parent actually read it, I don’t think there even is a process to correct them without delaying court.