I had to rethink my career of 20-plus years in the social work field due to an unspeakable ruling. When children are placed in foster care, it has always been my professional experience to work toward reunification with the family.

This parent signed his child over to the Department of Human Services with a trusting promise that both child and parent would get the help needed to be reunified. This parent did follow through with the goal plan with minimal fallbacks, nothing that would constitute termination of parental rights. This parent asked for visits and counseling, and he was repeatedly told that he needed to give his child time, to take it slow, with which he fully cooperated. Professionals involved felt the need to find flaws in his parenting that took place several years ago to eliminate further contact.

Being in foster care for the time allotted by law allowed parental rights to be terminated per this child’s request. Was this child wrongly counseled to make this adult decision? Was this parent railroaded by the system? Absolutely. The very things that this parent was instructed to do for reunification were used against him.

I hope that these people are able to sleep at night knowing what damage they have done to father and child.