Article
Reasonable efforts is a topic that has been debated among child
welfare professionals for many years because of its relative
lack of definition and being subject to interpretation by social
workers and judicial representatives. According to Iowa Code
Chapter 232:
Reasonable efforts means the efforts made to preserve and
unify a family prior to the out-of-home placement of a child in
foster care or to eliminate the need for removal of the child or
make it possible for the child to safely return to the family’s
home. If returning the child to the family’s home is not
appropriate or not possible, reasonable efforts shall include
the efforts made in a timely manner to finalize a permanency
plan for the child. A child’s health and safety shall be the
paramount concern in making reasonable efforts. Reasonable
efforts may include intensive family preservation services or
family-centered services, if the child’s safety in the home can
be maintained during the time the services are provided.
Regardless of the definition of reasonable efforts, decisions
that adults make surrounding those efforts affect the youth
involved with the case. What do youth view as reasonable
efforts? What is their perspective on how the child welfare
system is doing with regard to these efforts?
A program that is giving youth a voice is Elevate, an Iowa based
program of Children & Families of Iowa. According to their
mission statement, “Elevate is a group of young people who seek
to inspire others to new levels of understanding and compassion
to the life connection needs of foster care and adoptive teens
by sharing their personal stories of hope.” This empowering
program teaches youth how to advocate for themselves and to
advocate for change within the system, as well as to share with
the public how their lives are affected by the decisions that
are often made for them.
Elevate members were asked to share their opinions of the
reasonable efforts that affected their lives. Following are a
few of their responses.
Lorisha
 Lorisha, age 20, has been involved with the Iowa foster care
system since she was eight years old. At the age of 15, she was
the youngest teenager to be admitted into her independent living
program. Lorisha has two brothers who have also been affected by
the system. Lorisha states that she has seen a lot of
differences in her brothers’ cases. Two years ago, Lorisha felt
that no one really attempted to reunite her brother and her
mother. Today, Lorisha has noticed that the court systems and
the Department of Human Services are making an effort to reunify
her younger brother and her mother.
“They’re giving her lots of services this time. She has to
attend substance class and treatment classes and they’ve offered
visits. My mom isn’t choosing to follow through, but the court
system is really trying,”
Lorisha
Lorisha has been given custody of her little brother and notes
that she is receiving supportive services to sustain the
placement, including foster parenting classes and financial
assistance.
Kaisa and Natasha
 Kaisa, age 15, has been involved with the foster care system for
just over a year. “The courts are doing the best job that
they can to reunify myself with my mother.”
Natasha, age 15, entered the system almost six months ago.
“My worker should let me see my mother more often because it
would help make transitioning back home a lot easier.”
Kaisa and Natasha with their Elevate group
Jackie
 Jackie, age 26, became involved in the foster care system
because her mother’s mental impairment made her incapable of
parenting. At the age of 11, Jackie’s mother’s parental rights
were terminated against Jackie’s wishes. Jackie now has no legal
connection to her mother which prevents Jackie from ensuring
that her mother is receiving the best possible care. Jackie
refused to be adopted, but she found permanency in a foster
family who understood her connection to her mother and continues
to be a support system in Jackie’s life.
“The state's refusal to listen to what I wanted at the age of
11 was a disservice to myself and my mom. It is important that
parents have the opportunity to be reunited with their children,
if that is a feasible option. Children need the chance to be
part of their family of origin if that family can be healthy.”
Jackie and her birth mother
In summary, just like with anything in the child welfare system,
nothing can be concrete when dealing with human lives. The youth
affected by decisions need to be at the center of the
proceedings. For more information about Elevate, visit their web
site,
elevate2inspire.com.
Elevate is a program of Children & Families of Iowa.
|
