Thanks, Linda for your unflagging devotion to families.

Her suggestion that you put up a Website is on point.

Desirable children are viewed as a commodity by Child Protective Services.

Again, California has a wonderful advocate in Linda Jo.

Take away message is: Think GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY.

Parents can always meet with legislators in groups in Arkansas. That is another avenue to take.

If you do a website, please let me know… I will want to link to it from here. In fact, a huge network of links from each similar website would make us all more powerful in the search engine results. I’ve always encouraged people to put their links in the comments on this site… I use the do-follow plugin which should create a good link for each of you.

Enacted October, 2008

Read this:

Grandchildren Adopted Out of the Family
By Amy Goyer | February 24, 2009

Reader Question: Our family has been ripped apart because our grandchildren were adopted outside the family. This has been very traumatic for all of us as we have tried very hard to get the authorities to allow us to adopt them. We feel the system has failed our entire family in this matter. How do we get people to listen? And what can we do to keep going? We want everyone to be aware of the laws in our state and what they can do to prevent this from happening to them. Where do we start?

Many grandparents are willing to step up to the plate and gain custody or adopt grandchildren when parents can’t raise them – for whatever reason. Unfortunately, your situation is all too common. Family members may be the last to know when a child is available for adoption. The good news is that after many years of advocating for grandparents in this kind of situation, on Oct. 7, 2008 the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act was signed into law. This new law directly addresses the tragic issue you and many others face. It mandates that state child welfare agencies provide notice to all adult grandparents and other relatives within 30 days of a child being removed from a parent’s custody. Most states have already had notification policies on the books, but in reality those policies were not always enforced. This new law makes it compulsory, with few exceptions, and it also makes it easier for child welfare agencies to find families members.

Some of the strongest advocates for this law were grandparents who are unable to have a relationship with a grandchild because adoptive families chose not to allow the child to see – or even know about – their relatives. There is still a need for more advocacy. Spread the word that this new law exists, and hold your state agencies accountable to it. Start a discussion about this topic here on Grandparents.com. Grandparents, if the child welfare system is involved in your grandchild’s life, make sure that those on the case know you exist and how to reach you. Sadly, this law comes into effect too late for this family, and many others. But it does shed a ray of hope for the thousands of grandparents who will face a situation like this down the road.
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This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Adoption, Child Welfare, Custody, Grandparent adoptions, Grandparents raising grandchildren, Legal, National Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, Notification of relatives. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a trackback: Trackback URL.
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