Kinshp rights denied and being ignored

For those concerned about children and parents in CPS cases.

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mmigrad
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 6:22 pm

Kinshp rights denied and being ignored

Postby mmigrad » Tue Jan 19, 2016 5:45 pm

My granddaughter was born addicted to heroin. As the paternal Grandparents we were unaware of the birth or situation for 5 months and were shocked with a distant relative showed us a photo of our grandbaby. We immediately took action to prove Paternity and tried to involve the father in the case to no avail. When we found both the mother and father were failing to follow case plan (within 2 months of finding out she was alive), we began to pursue custody via any means possible. Home study was done and presumably passed and we were granted visitation that became unsupervised home visits. These visits lasted about 6 months while the parents were MIA. When CPS finally submitted to the court to terminate parental rights, the mother showed up again and asked for visitation. The court granted a new case plan, mandated residential treatment for drug use and we were called within hours terminating our visitations. Bamb bamb, she was out of our lives completely with no warning.
A month prior to the loss of visitation we had completed Preservice classes to become foster at the recommendation of CPS. We had filed for Foster to adopt a week prior to losing visitation. Its been 3 months and we are days from having our foster license. Immediately upon losing visitations I scoured the internet for advise. State Representative, Kinship Care Coalition etc. All said get an attorney and that I did. A good one that was once Magistrate of the court where our grandchilds case is handled. Unfortunately our first hearing was moved because mother could not be reached to serve papers, then our court case was stayed by the judge until the CPS case was completed? Why did I get an attorney if judge doesn't' have to hear a case when child is in CPS???
In the midst of all this we find mother removed herself from residential treatment plan and started going to suboxon clinic breaking rules of case plan. As a result CPS has filed to terminate parental rights. Hearing is in 4 weeks.
While this should be good news for us given we have now passed TWO!!! homestudies (the most recent by House of Samuel which was an independent party to our agency) and are going to be licensed as fosters and approved for adoption by the end of the week per the foster coordinator in there office. The foster wants to adopt our grandbaby and without actually saying it, CPS is trying to make that happen and has been since day 1. We even found the caseworker is related to the foster family by marriage.
I should add, my sister in law is a foster parent in good standing who has adopted two children. She petitioned CPS to have our grandbaby placed with her giving us time to get homestudy etc. It was shot down without consideration.
Anyone with experience or knowledge of Ohio Kinship rules, etc feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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LindaJM
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Re: Kinshp rights denied and being ignored

Postby LindaJM » Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:20 pm

Read and make copies of the Kinship care rules in the Ohio Social Services Regulations - and give those copies to anyone who will listen. I'd be talking to my county commissioner - maybe even going to county commissioner meetings to share my two minutes worth. They are supposed to be in charge of all that goes on in the county.

State Laws and Regulations

It seems the most telling thing you wrote was that the CPS worker is related to the foster parent. That says everything.

I'd go above her... to county commissioner, state legislator... whoever will listen.
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Please keep in mind that none of us are lawyers and we can't give legal advice. We are simply telling you what we would do in a similar situation. It is to your advantage to get a lawyer.

"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke ... so try to do something to change the system ...


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