Help Ensure Little Girl's Safety and Future

Hello. Most of my friends know that we have an unconventional family. I went into foster care with the intent to care for children as long as they needed a safe home. What I did not know is that Illinois is the slowest of all 50 states in finding a child's permanency, either return home, adoption or guardianship. Children in foster care remain there far too long, often 3-5 years. Caring for the 4 kids that have come into my home has been the biggest challenge and blessing in my life. However, the foster system does not always do what it is supposed to when it comes to keeping children safe.

Unfortunately, in Little Girl's case, I found the system incredibly lacking. Her case has become extremely complicated, with missing records, redacted reports, and information that has been withheld and glossed over. I have been excluded from court proceedings and repeatedly withheld from information intentionally. Also, "permanency" hearings, which are supposed to occur every six months, have not happened since Feb 2024. A few months ago, I found out that immediate overnights were being recommended, despite numerous safety concerns.

At this point, I decided to consult a lawyer. Foster parents have no actual legal rights in a foster case. The only option is to file to become a party to the case. This area of the law is extremely nuanced and rare, so I was lucky to find a lawyer who understands and knows this arena. We filed this motion in Sept and were denied, but we continue to fight for the judge to get accurate, full, and honest information. We will refile at some point and have court again in January.

All I want is for Little Girl to be safe. If I did not have verified, severe safety concerns, I would not be in this battle. I also just want the judge to have accurate information to be able to decide her future.

From May until now, I have been able to scrape together enough to pay my lawyer, but my savings are rapidly depleting, and I need help getting through the next hurdle. I hate to ask for anything, but would appreciate any little thing you could do to help.

I have intentionally been vague on this post. If you would like more details on our story or where we are, I would be happy to discuss. Thank you for considering. Even with all this difficulty, Little Girl, her safety and future, are worth it.