2008-09-23T22:49:37Z opencongress.org tag:opencongress.org,2007:/bill/comments/41365 2008-09-23T22:49:37Z tag:opencongress.org,2008-09-23:/comment/40872 JHENRY My husband and I are in our late 60s. We have been given custody of 3 grandchildren by DPSS. We have had them for the past 4 years. They are thriving and have come a long way from the life they lead with their birth parents. we have since became their guardians. Each step of the way we have been investigated, fingerprinted, background checked and our home evaluated, as well as our life style and the firends and family also have to go through the same investigations so that we might let the children stay over night at their homes. I, too was in foster care until I was adopted at 14. I do not know where my real sisters are and have wondered how they are doing for over 40 years. I would much better see that foster children are put in homes with relatives. They do have to be investigated. The relatives can not just come and take the children. It took us 6 months for the home study and background check. I am sorry you take this attitude. Perhaps if you had a better experience and had CPS step in before you were placed with relatives, you might think differently. My grandchildren will never have to worry about who and where their relitives are because they are very much a part of their lives. Not all relative care givers are monsters and they should be given the same help with these children as foster care people are. Most foster care families take children in as a way to make a living. I know my foster care parents did not care one way or the other what was happening with me. They just collected the money. If you get 5 or 6 children in one foster home, that adds up to quite an income. I don't know what state you live in but now days their must be a home study and background check for relative care givers just the same as for foster care, only foster care parents get money for taking care of these children and relatives do not. If it weren't for relative care givers, DPSS would have more children in their system. Senators: PLEASE PASS THIS BILL. IT IS NECESSARY TO HELP THOSE SENIORS, SUCH AS I, TO RAISE THEIR RELATIVE CHILDREN THAT WERE IN FOSTER CARE. MY HUSBAND AND I PLANNED OUR LIFE AND RETIRED FOR 2 NOT 5. WE ARE ON A FIXED INCOME AND THE COST OF LIVING HAS SKY ROCKETED. WE HAVE GONE THROUGH OUR SAVINGS AND ARE NOW GOING THROUGH OUR RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY. NOT ALL CHILDREN ARE GOING TO BE WELCOME IN THEIR RELATIVES HOME. IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME, PATIENCE, LOVE AND MONEY TO RAISE A CHILD. THEY DID NOT COMMIT A CRIME TO GET INTO DPSS SYSTEM. THEY DESERVE ALL THE HELP THEY CAN GET AND BEING WITH A LOVING RELATIVE IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD. jh 2008-04-08T02:24:39Z tag:opencongress.org,2008-04-08:/comment/4402 Anonymous I was raised in foster care from age 2 to 16 with periodic reunifications with my birth parents: Father alcoholic and mother drug addict laced with horrific domestic violence along with constant placement with one relative after another by my birth parents. Thank God for foster care and for CPS who stepped in and saved me. I think that relatives need to be evaluated and set to the same standards as non relative foster homes. I think it should be made a crime to place children in sick homes with sick parents or relatives. I think good homes whether they are relatives or not need to be evaluated, trained, supervisored and reimbursed. I also worked for Child Protective Services for 10 years. I am most concerned with this trend to return kids to their birth homes/ relatives at all cost. Not a month goes by that another child is being killed by these new policies and we now have 2100 homeless, abused children on our streets instead of in foster homes?????? What is going on??? Take care before you decide to shut down these foster homes and replace them with a nightmare. It sounds good on paper, but look carefully--build in safe guards for these kids along with giving money to the relatives, please. See Sen Ronda Storms R-Brandon Chair of the Senate Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs' report in the article called State Failure Persist in Child Welfare. Natalie McGee, MSW acr113@juno.com