A fellow foster family has retained their own attorney. He suggested I do the same. While I did make an appointment for a consultation a few weeks from now, I am not entirely sure now is the time to retain an attorney. For starters, we are not financially prepared to take on what could be thousands of dollars of legal fees. . Reunification is always the goal for 1st year of foster care. I would like to hear if anyone else has made that decision.
I always wanted to be a mom, I just didn't know how I would get there.
Re: If you built your family via foster to adopt, did you retain your own attorney?
In Wisconsin reunification is usually the primary goal, regardless of how many years the child is in the system. There are placement hearings every six months and really, as a foster parent it doesn't sound as though we have many/ any rights. We are there just to report on the facts...how the child is progressing, good/ bad behaviors of the birth parents.
We have no intention of hiring an attorney based on these circumstances. However, if something were to happen with a placement where there was a specific circumstance that we felt needed representation, we would consider an attorney who specializes in these matters.
We haven't done it yet, but one of our biggest fears is having to reunify a child into a home that we don't believe is in the best interest of the child. I'm not sure how we'll ever deal with that. It's hard enough to say goodbye to a little one when you know the parents have been trying hard to become a better parent.
I wish your friend the best, and maybe he can stay in touch with his foster to be a mentor in their life?