As a concerned grandmother who has experienced heart-wrenching personal trauma, I am urging policy-makers and child care authorities to allow children in state custody to be given more than one chance to live with family members. My granddaughters were placed in state custody after their mother underwent a difficult experience. This resulted in them being placed first with a half-sibling, and then in a traditional foster home. Despite my desperate attempts to secure custody of my granddaughters, including seeking legal counsel and enduring court proceedings, the powers that be refuse to hand them over to me.

This punitive approach of a single chance for a family placement is not only unjust but contradicts research. Studies suggest that child welfare outcomes are significantly better when children are placed with family members, with fewer instances of instability when compared to non-relative foster care. (Source: "Child Welfare Information Gateway, US Department of Health & Human Services")

Time and again, I have been promised that after a certain number of visits, I would be able to secure custody of my beloved granddaughters. However, these promises have proven to be false. I fear that these innocent lives are being treated as pawns in an opaque system that bears resemblance to human trafficking, all while they are ripped away from the warmth and safety of their family.

Policy reform is urgently needed in this area, to allow multiple opportunities for familial placements that prioritize the welfare of the child above all else. I am asking you, as policy-makers and guardians of child welfare, to consider the implications of your decisions, heed our pleas, and make a beneficial change; after all, children belong with their families. Please, sign this petition to pave the way for fair and equitable practices in child custody cases.