Last week I tracked down the contact information for the youngster's attorney. I was told by the youngster's social worker that this person could (and would) help me file for de facto parent status. I waited all weekend to make the call and learned this morning that she's out of the office until the end of the month. Grrrrrr!
There are some seriously wrong decisions being made right now and as a mere "foster parent" I am not a part of the decision making process, and am viewed by the court as an unpaid babysitter. Given that the youngster has been here for over a year, and that I'm the one who suffers when she suffers I think it's time to apply for more rights. Being awarded de facto parent means I become a party to the family court proceedings, and then can address the court to effect positive change in the decision-making process. It is clear to me that the court has no concept of what it's doing to the youngster and her voice needs to be heard (through me) in the court.
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You can probably file for de facto parent status without the help of an attorney. At least in our state, you simply have to fill out a form, deliver it to the court, and serve all parties with a copy. It's pretty easy.
One word of caution though, don't let yourself be lulled into a false sense of security that de facto parent status buys you much. We've learned that even though we had it, our de facto status gave us very little help in fighting a removal notice.
What would have helped us more, had we known about it, was filing for our daughter to be placed in a specific foster care placement, rather than general foster care. In our state, when a child is in general care, they can be moved to any home, for any reason, without a hearing. If a child is placed in a specific, named placement, they cannot remove the child without a hearing.
Maybe in your state it would be different. Good luck to you.
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