CASA volunteer Jacqui’s Story
Reunifying Families
CASA volunteer Jacqui
The path to family reunification is often long and winding, with challenges parents must overcome to fulfill court and Division of Child Protection and Permanency requirements. These include proof of housing, employment stability, ability to parent, and remedying the initial issues that led to removal.
It was no different for the mom in CASA volunteer Jacqui’s case. Mom was eager to have Jayna, 12, Therese, 11, and Toby, 2, reunified with her and chart a path forward as a family. Mom had been diligently completing program requirements such as learning how to utilize community resources, including those that assisted with housing needs. With Jacqui’s help, mom also became connected to even more local support for additional services.
So it was unexpected when, during the course of mom’s regular drug testing, the lab returned a positive test for fentanyl. While the road to recovery is not often straight, and relapse is often part of the process, Jacqui believed something seemed amiss. She felt sure the lab results must be wrong.
At Jacqui’s insistence the lab re-ran the sample and mom’s results were, in fact, negative. Jacqui had been right. Two months later, Jayna and Therese were reunified with their mom.
For Toby, who had been removed from mom’s care at birth, reunification was more complicated. After all, he had been in one resource home since birth, two years earlier. Mom and Toby began regular visitation and he had overnight visits with his siblings and mom. According to observations by Jacqui, a bond existed. This wasn’t on the judge’s radar, though, as all that had been supplied to the court were reports of Toby’s connection — certainly expected after two years — to his longtime resource family.
Jacqui, however, had witnessed mom and the girls with Toby. He was happy, engaged, and his big sisters fawned all over him. They appeared to be fast becoming a family unit. Jacqui provided detailed court reports with observations between mom and her youngest, and his place within the family. Some months later, the decision was made to reunify Toby with his mom and sisters.