Reunification Story
I had a child that was in care when I became a coordinator in 2018. She was with fictive kin. She could not live with her mother. The fictive kin had tried so hard to be a positive influence for my child, they could not control her. My child was in 7 different placements. Fictive kin and the child went through therapy and in the end my child went back to live with fictive kin. CASA searched for family. There was a maternal grandmother but she was not living in a place that would be suitable for our child. Not even a year later the child had come back into care. My child had been running away, not attending school and fighting. During this case my child had told us about a paternal grandmother. We looked into her but she was unwilling to take the child due to her behaviors. The alleged father was in jail, after DNA was done, he was not the father. My child was crushed. Fictive kin still stood beside my child through everything. They just could not have the child back in their home. CASA sat and talked with the fictive kin as well as the child. The maternal grandmother was willing to take the child but she had no place of her own and where she was living was still not a good situation for my child to be in. Fictive kin, the maternal grandmother, CASA and CPS all sat down in a meeting. My child had been in 12 different placements this time. The fictive kin decided they would pay for an apartment for the maternal grandmother and our child if maternal grandmother would like to. The grandmother finally decided it was time and she moved into an apartment. In court the judge asked CASA to look at the apartment once it was rented and furnished. CASA went to the house the day before Christmas Eve. We did our assessment, called the AAL and CPS to let them know that it was perfect. CPS picked up our child on Christmas Eve and brought her to the apartment. What a great Christmas it was for our child. We stayed on the case for a few more months and then the court closed the case. From time to time the fictive kin calls to say hello and to thank CASA for standing beside everyone in the case and looking out for the best interest of our child. The case has been closed since the middle of 2019.