NICWA Supports Safe Transition in California ICWA Case
Being a foster parent is a hard, selfless,
honorable role. We have great compassion and appreciation for the
amazing people who open their homes and lives to vulnerable children at
the time when they need love, stability, and support the most. And while
we feel deep sympathy for what the Page family is going through during
this difficult time, it was regrettable and disturbing to observe the
media spectacle witnessed yesterday, which stands in stark contrast to
best practice that ensures a child's safe transition in such
circumstances.
Transitioning a child from a foster care
placement to family should be done in a manner that creates the least
amount of unnecessary trauma for a child. This is why such matters are
kept private--because child development experts and families understand
it is in the child's best interest to do so.
Court transcripts indicate the Pages were
aware since 2011 that their foster daughter had loving relatives wanting
to welcome her into their home and reunite her with her siblings, one
of whom she will now live with. As with most foster placements, where
reunification with siblings and family is the stated objective, the Page
family understood her placement was to be temporary.
Despite this and numerous court rulings
dating back to 2013, they chose to reject the consensus of the court,
the county child welfare agency, the child's parent, her court-appointed
attorney, and her tribe, who all agreed it was in her best interest to
be with her sister and family.
Now she is with family. Court documents
elaborate on the longstanding and close relationship her relatives have
with her; they explain that she has long known them as "family from
Utah." These are not strangers. These are family members who she knows
well.
We understand the difficulty of accepting
the temporary nature of foster parenting, but it is imperative we focus
on supporting a safe transition. Today, this child is with her sister
and other family members who have been waiting five long years to
welcome this child into their home.
Read more HERE
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