I'm new at this. Not just the part of the job where I put on my blogger hat. I'm new at the whole CASA/sitting in court hearings/working with kids in foster care bit. Growing up I did have friends with foster siblings. My husband's parents have been foster parents. I have an aunt and a cousin who were both adopted a young children. I've met and talked with abused and neglected kids before, but I don't have a whole lot of experience with the legal part of the system.
If you read books or watch tv shows that deal with case workers, you might end up with a negative mindset about them, that they are power hungry and just looking for an excuse to snatch your kids away. And when it comes to lawyers, don't you get the mental image of a self-involved buffoon who's only interest is winning the case so that his client has to pay him a bunch of money. As for the court hearings, you think of long drawn out trials with lots of witnesses giving hours of testimony.
And the reality is... It's not like that. Or at least not in York.
I was pleasantly suprised at how things work here. Most of the hearings are pretty short. The caseworkers take time to get to know the families and develop relationships with them. One regularly travels out of state to visit children who have been placed in out-of-state care. The lawyers all consider what is in the best interest of the children, not just their client. The first time I sat in on a pre-hearing conference, as parental visits were being discussed, it was the mother's attorney who pointed out that the plan being considered was too much driving time for the kids - couldn't the mother go to them, or meet them halfway.
Instead of each party getting into a corner and shouting insults or accusations, I have been really impressed at the way everyone comes together to work in the best interest of the children. I'm sure that there are self-interested lawyers, and power-hungry caseworkers, and long drawn out court hearings somewhere. But I am quite happy to say, they are not here in York County.
By Melody K. Coehoorn
If you read books or watch tv shows that deal with case workers, you might end up with a negative mindset about them, that they are power hungry and just looking for an excuse to snatch your kids away. And when it comes to lawyers, don't you get the mental image of a self-involved buffoon who's only interest is winning the case so that his client has to pay him a bunch of money. As for the court hearings, you think of long drawn out trials with lots of witnesses giving hours of testimony.
And the reality is... It's not like that. Or at least not in York.
I was pleasantly suprised at how things work here. Most of the hearings are pretty short. The caseworkers take time to get to know the families and develop relationships with them. One regularly travels out of state to visit children who have been placed in out-of-state care. The lawyers all consider what is in the best interest of the children, not just their client. The first time I sat in on a pre-hearing conference, as parental visits were being discussed, it was the mother's attorney who pointed out that the plan being considered was too much driving time for the kids - couldn't the mother go to them, or meet them halfway.
Instead of each party getting into a corner and shouting insults or accusations, I have been really impressed at the way everyone comes together to work in the best interest of the children. I'm sure that there are self-interested lawyers, and power-hungry caseworkers, and long drawn out court hearings somewhere. But I am quite happy to say, they are not here in York County.
By Melody K. Coehoorn
