Hello Everyone!
OK, I am going to guess that most of you know enough of our story
from other group postings that I can go forth with the new without
making this a VERY VERY long post instead of just a very long post(if
you need more info, let me know)!
We received a call from our daughter this morning to update us on the
situation with our grandkids. It seems that she received a call from
the CASA volunteer last night (she must have a very guilty concious
to even make the call) to let her know that the kids have been placed
in a foster-adopt home that is very far from our home town. Well,
needless to say, our daughter became extremely upset! She called her
court appointed attorney several times today before getting him to
answer and all he would do is verify that indeed they were placed in
a foster adopt home and that yes it was far from our county. He
stated he knew this and yet he had not informed our daughter of this
very vital fact. He also told her that they would have a hard time
getting a TPR as she finished her treatment plan which has already
been established in court. He also informed of another fact she did
not know. When they returned the kids to her instead of us in late
July, they gave her back LEGAL and physical custody. He also told
her that when they pulled the kids two weeks ago that they obviously
had lied to her because they most likely would be going for the TPR
on grounds of abandonment. Well, yes she did go to Denver, but at
the court hearing to dismiss, which changed to going for a change of
venue (which the DSS caseworker did not show up to) the judge told
our daughter that she would grant a change of venue once she had
established herself in Denver - good job, sufficient income,
appropriate housing, etc. Another hearing was scheduled for the next
Monday (almost two weeks ago) so that the DSS caseworker could be
present. Well, on Wednesday when they came to pick up the kids they
told our daughter not to tell the kids that she was going to get
everything set up and that they could come back to her when she had
finished doing what the 'judge ladies' had said because that might
not happen. Our daughter didn't know what to make of that, but the
kids were taken into 'temporary' foster care from what she believed
and she was off to Denver. Well, on Friday two weeks ago tomorrow,
the DSS caseworker called her shortly before the shelter hearing to
let her know about the hearing. Obviously she could not make it down
in time to attend the hearing. This is obviously how they will get
her on the abandonment issue! Well, later that afternoon just before
business close, the DSS caseworker called and asked her to
voluntarily sign off her rights to the kids. She basically told them
to shove it, that they were her children, and that she was going to
fight for them. The caseworker proceeded to tell her that they would
be filing for termination of the children and that she had already
found a home that would adopt all four of them. Her attorney
inofrmed her that he doesnt know what to do! Can you believe that?
I told her she should seriously think about firing him and requesting
another attorney. I also told her to ask that the GAL be changed as
she had not returned anyones call for months and in fact another GAL
stood in for her at the hearing to dismiss that was re-scheduled but
which also never took place. Very confusing, I know, but that is
what DSS is trying to do. Our daughter was not even supposed to tell
us taht the kids had gone into foster care again - she was just
supposed to go to Denver, get herself set up, and keep us out of it.
Well, that is because (according to my psych eval) I am a control
freak with a very high IQ (not bragging, just stating facts) and they
knew I would not rest until I got this whole thing reversed.
Now, here is where I/we need help. Please correct me if I am wrong,
but they cannot go for termination until the children have been in
the legal custody of the state for 15 out of 22 months. At this
point, the case has been open for 12 1/2 months, and Sarah, according
to her attorney, had physical and legal custody for 2 out of the 12
1/2 months almost to the day. When the kids were with us for those 7
1/2 months at the beginning of the case we did not have legal
custody. We are believing that they placed them in the foster/adopt
home at this point so they can establish a bond with the kids until
they have that 15 months under their belt. That would be about 4 1/2
months from now.
It is obvious to anyone and everyone at this point that these people
are doing whatever they can to discredit us and our daughter, as we
all have established extreme bonds with these children. They have my
felony record against me, although they knew about it before they
were placed with us and DSS had paid me to do their childcare from
the day they were born and granted me a kinship caregiver daycare
license regardless of my record. They also have my husbands past
drug abuse problem - he has been clean and sober for over 3 years
(since before Jacob was born), and also have his mental health issues
on their side again, even though they knew about all these things
before they were placed with us and while they argued at the initial
shelter hearing against placement with us, the judge granted us
kinship custody. They also have a letter from my husbands mental
health caregivers - both psychiatrist and therapist - saying that he
is not a danger to himself or others and that he is following his
treatment plan and is on his meds and has not had another incident
since his meds were regulated.
With all of this information at your disposal, we need to know what
to do at this point. We are considering filing a motion to retun the
kids to our custody with a huge amount of attachments that will show
the childrens' bond with us, that Jacob was with us since birth up
until they were all removed from our home on May 16th of this year,
and in fact was not in our daughter's home when they did the initial
investigation of D&N in September of 2005. He had never been in her
care or custody and we believe that he, at the very least, should be
returned to us based on these facts. No formal paperwork was ever
done, so I guess they have that on their side. We also can get
letters from teachers, therapists for the children, tax records
showing we filed with them as dependants, receipts showing we have
purchased their needed items (clothing, diapers, pull-ups, furniture,
food, etc.) for their entire lives, letters from family and friends
stating that they were never in danger while in our care, certificate
of completion from a class I took on dealing with children with
mental health issues like ADHD, RAD, ODD, etc., that Sarah had signed
a paper giving us custody of the three boys for the year previous to
them being taken by DSS, and so much more.
We know what they have been up to since they took the kids from us
last May, we know what they are up to now, and we need to know how to
specifically fight this so that we can bring our children back home
where they belong. We have a bond with them that cannot be broken,
but don't want to wait 12-15 years to see that again.
We are in Colorado and at this point, we need to know how to reverse
what they are doing. We will do whatever we need to do at this point
to save our precious babies. They have flown under the radar - which
is what they are so good at - want to line their pockets with more
money in getting all four adopted, give another family the adoption
subsidy that we should at this very time be getting (although I
really don't care about that), and to take us down because they can!
We have nothing to lose at this point, but we also do not have any
money for an attorney. They broke us in that they knew we would
supply whatever the kids needed and waited until we had sold
everything, had lost our home (partly due to the fact that it
flooded, our landlord didn't make her house payments, and the house
is in foreclosure). A month ago we were taking them to school and
daycare every day because they said they would pull them from the
home if we didn't. And yet they didn't want us to have any time
alone with the kids - Sarah had to be present for us to visit with
them and we were not allowed to take them anywhere, except of course
to school and daycare and back home.
If anyone has the time to point us in the direction we need to go at
this point, help us to get started, and offer support along the way,
we would be eternally grateful.
What these people are doing is an absolute sin against all that is
holy within a family. We are a tight knit family, and despite our
hurtful, sinful pasts, we are good Christians who only want what is
in God's Plan for our grandchildren and for our children as well. We
believe that God wants us to continue to fight because He keeps
placing new information in front of us with which to fight. Please,
these children need us, they have an unbreakable bond with us,
especially our Jacob. We know that they are hurting desperately as
they have not even gotten past the last time they were in foster care
and need us to help them become the sweet little angels that they
were once - not the scared, angry, emotionally stunted angels they
have become. I know DSS and the GAL blame these issues on us, but
they were making real progress when they were with us and these did
not come up until they were placed in foster care and I have
therapists to vouch for this.
If there is anyone who can help us to fight this enourmas, incredibly
important fight that is truly vital to anyone with children because
this happens everyday somewhere, we will do anything for your
assistance. I know many of you have your own desperate fights to
fight and somehow we must all do what we have to for our own
families, but someone once told me to let the controlling nature go
and to ask for help when I need it. Well, I am asking and can only
hope and pray that God will place this letter with the right precious
soul to assist us in our journey back to our precious grandchildren.
May God be with each of you in your struggles and in your blessings.
May He continue to Bless each of us and to put faith in the hearts of
all of our babies that they will KNOW that we are all fighting
for "THE BEST INTRESTS OF THE CHILD"!
God Bless,
Leona & Ron
Pueblo, CO
719 406-4261
jusnanale28@...
jusnanale28@...