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1. I think a couple should get children that they can parent. Not all couples can parents a biracial child. Trans-racial couples are not accepted everywhere (i.e. the Middle East) Not all couples can handle medically fragile children. I've seen the foster care director require couples to get RN degrees before they will approve them for foster care and then they certify the home as a therapeutic foster home. Then the foster care director get mad when they quit in less than six months. It's just not logical to place children in this way.
2. Our local foster care system has only white babies, toddlers, school age children, and teens. Our county is 97.8 percent white, minorities makeup 2 percent of our population. Age discrimination is illegal per federal law. The foster care system cannot hide behind "birth mother's choice" in regards to placement/age.
3. I think your foster care system is very different from mine. I think mine uses children to fund the local county government. More children means more federal dollars for the local government.
So, a spouse of a GAL in an economically depressed, white, apparently rural (?) area is making wide generalizations about foster care based on personal experience and observations from chair #2 in a legal office. Great stuff. The disdain for foster care runs deep and is barely covered by a thin guise of "wanting to help".
Point 1 and point 2 sometimes come at odds with each other. A couple doesn't always get to pick the children they get, whether by birth, temporary placement, or by adoption. The administrators charged with assisting the children in need must make the best decisions they can using the resources at hand and working within the laws. So, when given a situation where one couple may be younger, or more adept at handling a particular problem issue, the advocates/case workers/guardians must make decisions based on who can provide the care the child needs. Age may be a factor. Medical background/training/experience may be a factor. In some cases, that could look like discrimination from an outside perspective.
Unfortunately, the OP's cynicism doesn't stop with claiming racism, age discrimination, and broad claims about inept management, they then decide to go so far as to openly imply fraud in their system. Is it really any wonder the local social welfare workers aren't thrilled to see you coming?
Sigh - wish I had the patience of Chef on South Park...the answers will come if you take a history course of Indigenous People and I don't mean this, in a mean-spirited way. Otherwise, anything that is too hard due to our perception of it being complicated, requires assistance. Also, there is no ban for adopting non-native children or native children.
So ignorance of the law is your defense, I wonder how history will see that? Are you saying these articles are wrong or just don't exist in your interpretation of history?
So, a spouse of a GAL in an economically depressed, white, apparently rural (?) area is making wide generalizations about foster care based on personal experience and observations from chair #2 in a legal office. Great stuff. The disdain for foster care runs deep and is barely covered by a thin guise of "wanting to help".
Point 1 and point 2 sometimes come at odds with each other. A couple doesn't always get to pick the children they get, whether by birth, temporary placement, or by adoption. The administrators charged with assisting the children in need must make the best decisions they can using the resources at hand and working within the laws. So, when given a situation where one couple may be younger, or more adept at handling a particular problem issue, the advocates/case workers/guardians must make decisions based on who can provide the care the child needs. Age may be a factor. Medical background/training/experience may be a factor. In some cases, that could look like discrimination from an outside perspective.
Unfortunately, the OP's cynicism doesn't stop with claiming racism, age discrimination, and broad claims about inept management, they then decide to go so far as to openly imply fraud in their system. Is it really any wonder the local social welfare workers aren't thrilled to see you coming?
Our practice area of specialty is NOT adoption or foster care. We are literally ordered to work these cases without any reimbursement of fees and absolutely no payment for all the time we put into these cases. One would think that if the court administration or foster care director did not want us to work on these cases they could order one of the big city attorneys to work on them. Because as you say, the local social workers are not so thrill to see us working a case with them.
The foster care system is a mess. It does have all the elements that I have laid out and not just in our small rural part of the country. I searched and found problems in all areas of the country that reflect the problems we have. It appears you want to wish it all away as it does not exist. It just does not matter to you that this is happening though out the nation or in our small town. No amount of evidence will convince you. You seem content to ignore the problems hoping it will all just go away. Are you really going to ignore both the Capital and AZ law review articles?
Our practice area of specialty is NOT adoption or foster care. We are literally ordered to work these cases without any reimbursement of fees and absolutely no payment for all the time we put into these cases. One would think that if the court administration or foster care director did not want us to work on these cases they could order one of the big city attorneys to work on them. Because as you say, the local social workers are not so thrill to see us working a case with them.
The foster care system is a mess. It does have all the elements that I have laid out and not just in our small rural part of the country. I searched and found problems in all areas of the country that reflect the problems we have. It appears you want to wish it all away as it does not exist. It just does not matter to you that this is happening though out the nation or in our small town. No amount of evidence will convince you. You seem content to ignore the problems hoping it will all just go away. Are you really going to ignore both the Capital and AZ law review articles?
I'm not even sure how it can be possible that you are forced to work without compensation, but will have to assume it is as you say. Perhaps it explains the bitterness you hold toward the system.
There are problems with the foster care system in many areas, and it will likely always be that way. Taking custody away from parents is never going to be easy or without conflict. Unfortunately, it is a necessary reality since there are people with children that are unable to care for them in some cases. I somehow doubt that the rants of an embittered legal clerk on a forum is going to do a lot to assist in solving the issue. If corruption and fraud are as rampant as you suggest, it may be of value to go to state agencies or make an anonymous complaint to the state AG where you live.
So ignorance of the law is your defense, I wonder how history will see that? Are you saying these articles are wrong or just don't exist in your interpretation of history?
It's okay to admit you were wrong about ICWA. (Lose the trial lingo too.)
I'm not even sure how it can be possible that you are forced to work without compensation, but will have to assume it is as you say. Perhaps it explains the bitterness you hold toward the system.
There are problems with the foster care system in many areas, and it will likely always be that way. Taking custody away from parents is never going to be easy or without conflict. Unfortunately, it is a necessary reality since there are people with children that are unable to care for them in some cases. I somehow doubt that the rants of an embittered legal clerk on a forum is going to do a lot to assist in solving the issue. If corruption and fraud are as rampant as you suggest, it may be of value to go to state agencies or make an anonymous complaint to the state AG where you live.
The state's AG office is aware. The feds are aware. They just fine the local foster care system. That means the taxpayer pays for her offenses and she continues with corruption and fraud.
The state bar also has received our complaint. They asked the chief administrative judge to look into the assignment of pro bono cases. The family court judge states that his hands are tied as the county will only pay according to their budget and no budget is available for foster care cases. The state supreme court has placed a ban pro bono cases, so currently no foster care cases are being adjudicated. It such a lovely system we have.
There is a lot of excellent ideas for you to peruse. One more: banning is not synonymous with adjudication, no need to backtrack your viewpoints, they're there in your posts.
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