More than 22,000 children are in foster care in Pennsylvania, with over 8,000 resource parents caring for them. And, according to the Pennsylvania State Foster Parents Association, the system is failing those kids.
In 2000, the state passed legislation intended to assure that foster children get appropriate legal representation. But the PSFPA says that the mandated guidelines for those appointed Guardians are not being followed in the majority of dependency proceedings: "Lack of legal counsel is not only a problem for the child, but also puts a tremendous strain on resource parents that may have to fight the system for the child in their care. One of the main reasons that resource parents walk away is frustration with the system."
One such frustrated local parent, whose name is withheld to protect confidentiality, has cared for 15 children since 1988. This is her story...
"I began doing foster care when my daughter brought home two girls in her 11th grade class at QCHS who had a family situation that was falling apart, and nowhere to go. We went through the Social Services approval process - home study, lengthy interviews, training, fire inspections, etc. because they convinced us that they provided better legal protection for us, and more benefits to the girls.
But over the years, we have seen that the County Social Services system actually exists to uphold parents 'ownership' rights, and not the 'best interest of the child'. The Guardian ad Litem program was initiated to provide an attorney for each child, funded through tax dollars. However, it seems to work the same as any other HMO - Guardians are paid per child, not based on what they actually do. They are far from fulfilling the requirements stipulated by law. But everyone is paying the bill.
Since 2000, I have fostered eight children, ages six months to 10 years. Most were with me for 15-30 months. In only one of those situations did the Guardian initiate contact with me, and that was right before a court date. 'Jane' (not her real name) who has now been with me for about 18 months, is one of four siblings - two with me, and two in another foster home. There were three fathers. One of the girls in my home, and one in the other home, have the same father. Several months ago, dad resurfaced after a five-year absence (some of it in jail). Now that he's a model citizen, he wants custody of his girls. He also has seven or eight other children with other women.
After several requests, the agency 'found out' who the girls' Guardian is, and gave me his number. He has talked to them once, although I have called him several times to give information. He did set up an appointment to see them after I contacted him about questionable situations during a weekend visit. Both girls are scheduled to move in with the father permanently.
Although the stated purpose of the Guardians is to represent the children, it appears that they almost always rubber-stamp whatever decision is made by the county agency that appointed them. I have to believe they don't want to bite the hand that feeds them. I wonder how many would keep their jobs if they decided that the county's decision was not in the child's best interests.
To be fair, this particular gentleman at least tries to give the impression he knows what is happening - more than most of them have done. 'Jane' doesn't want to live with her father, and counseling to prepare her for this never happened. Her sister has never been contacted by a Guardian, and I don't even know if it is the same person.
The foster system's mantra is consistently 'reunification'. The statistics look better if Social Services can say they sent lots of children 'home'. This sounds like a wonderful idea, but the truth is, it works just as poorly as any other bureaucracy. The other two children that I have are five and six years old. This is the second time they have been with me. The first time was when they were about two and three, and stayed for 15 months. But the county's goal is still 'return to mom', who keeps giving them away every time they go back. The little girl showed me how to roll a joint when she was three. I have no idea who their Guardian is. My experience has been that they show up at the end, if at all.
County social workers are overworked and underpaid. New, young, idealistic workers are at the bottom of the political food chain, and soon learn how hard it is to accomplish anything. They either work within the existing system, or change jobs. They burn out quickly, and the turnover rate is high. One of the last ones we had stayed only three months. It is difficult for everyone to start over with new workers all the time.
The Guardian program was supposed to fill the gap and advocate for the child, not the parent. Most of the workers we've talked to aren't even aware of the Guardian's responsibilities. In fact, when we've asked for the names and phone numbers of Guardians for various children, we are usually refused - the reason being that the Guardian is supposed to contact us, not the other way. From our experience, IF they call it's sort of like hospice care: you know you're on borrowed time when you hear from them.
I have complained to the county. They responded by closing my home - but sent a very nice letter saying thanks, you've done a great job. We currently work with an agency that handles cases from five other counties. We went through their approval process with no problem. The system needs a complete overhaul. The way it works now, I'll probably get 'fired' if I make too much noise, but it drives me absolutely crazy that everyone says it's awful, but no one does anything to change it."