I lost custody of my daughter after having to make a decision that no parent should ever have to make. Should I fight the termination of parental rights (TPR) or should I “voluntarily” surrender my parental rights with a small chance that I might get visits and pictures and we might be able to write to each other? I was given this choice by the ACS worker when I was going to court—sign the TPR … Read More
For fun, my son Aaron and I like to go to museums, playgrounds and zoos. Our favorite museum is Brooklyn Children’s Museum. There is so much to do there that even if you go a lot, you will always find something new to entertain you. Aaron loves to go in the sandbox, look at pretend animals, build in the block lab, play with colored sand and use the water table.
Sitting at home and doing nothing doesn’t seem so bad, right? You can sleep late, play on electronics all day. But that gets boring and lonely and leads to stress. I like to see Aaron happy and to see that he is social and can make friends easily. Doing these things together brings us closer and helps us relax and have fun.
Throughout our 2020 series, Fighting for Our Rights, Rise has highlighted information about parents’ legal rights and representation — both to prevent child welfare system involvement and to protect your family if ACS does become involved.
Parental designation is a legal option in New York that allows a parent to designate someone you trust to temporarily take care of your child, while maintaining your parental rights and without ACS becoming involved.
Here, Jessica Prince, Policy Counsel … Read More
What parents need to know about post-adoption contract
Almost three years ago, I signed a “conditional surrender,” giving up parental rights of my oldest child, who was eventually adopted. The agreement stated that I would continue to be able to visit my daughter. The adoptive parent broke the agreement and I have not seen my daughter in almost three years. Now I regret not fighting to keep my two children together.Here, Margaret Burt, an attorney … Read More
It’s important for mothers who have previously been involved with child protective services to know about their rights and risks while they are pregnant so they can take steps to prevent their child from being taken at birth.
When I was pregnant with my son, I had a feeling I was going to run into some issues when the baby was born. I didn’t think they would take him away, but I knew I would have problems because my daughter was taken from me when she was about 2 and a half months old. I knew child protective services would look into any future child I might have.
