why I send updates to workers

Why I send updates to the Worker’s and the CASA:

You may be wondering about that last post. In it, I said that I was posting exactly what I sent to the Worker’s and the CASA on Jeremiah’s case.

The reason I do this is to apprise all the Workers on the case of what’s going on with Jeremiah on a regular basis. Because of our continued contact with the Dept. and CASA worker, they have been aware of issues that arose with Payton, and now with Jeremiah.

Just as in normal life, the truth must be told at all times. I believe that because of our honesty and truthfulness throughout both of the foster cases we’ve been through, those who work for the Dept. are very willing to believe wholeheartedly in what we say.

On many occasions Workers have repeated in meetings what we have shared with them, having no doubt that it is true. Once, while a Worker was visiting our home I told her what had happened during one of the hearings. This was second hand information coming from me, as I had heard it from Justin (my husband). She understood this. Justin happened to come home while this Worker was here, and he proceeded to share the same happenings, using exactly the same verbiage I had. This has helped tremendously in our relationship with the Dept. I will sit in my home and tell someone what is happening with Jeremiah, and Justin will go into a meeting at DHS and say the same thing. Not planned of course, we just make an effort to always be truthful. The truth will always find us out, whether in a foster care situation or life in general.

It is very beneficial for those working on the case to know exactly what is happening with the child, so that they may help them to the best of their ability. If a child is having negative reactions after the visit with their bio parents, but their time with their parents was positive, we might surmise from this that they may be reacting afterwards because they miss them. On the other hand, if the child has a very flat affect during the visits with the bio parents, or is unhappy, and they are crying and reacting afterwards, it may be because they are unhappy being with their bio parents, and may even have negative memories associated with them. Sharing information with all who are involved is crucial to the success of the Dept. Whether that means the child is adopted by another family, or the child is reunited with their family.

I am not saying any of this to tell you how wonderful we are. No, I am sharing this because I want those who read this who might be interested in doing foster care to be well equipped. This is a strong support for the child, and I want all to know how much it benefits them.