Caleb and his younger sister, Laine, were removed from the custody of their biological mother, Tasha, following an investigation that substantiated their mother’s drug use. The night of their removal, Tasha had snorted a mixture of “ice” methamphetamine crystals in the company of friends at a party. She became agitated, appeared sweaty, and began speaking nonsensically. She then fell unconscious and began convulsing. Emergency Services was called, and Tasha was taken to the hospital. When she didn’t return home that night, Caleb and Laine asked to stay with their neighbors, who called Child Protective Services.

That was just over two years ago, and Caleb and Laine have been in foster care ever since. Caleb is now 15 and Laine is 11. They have no relationship with their father, and he refuses to be involved in the case. Laine lives with a maternal cousin, Cassandra, with whom she has been placed for the past 15 months, and she is generally doing well. Caleb is currently placed at Harbor Bridge group home, where he has resided for the past six months. Initially, Caleb and Laine were placed together with Cassandra, but Caleb began acting out. He was disobedient at home, skipping school, and drinking alcohol. Cassandra also suspected he was smoking marijuana. She reached her limit with him when he stole some money and her cell phone one weekend, and she refused to allow him back in her home. From there, Caleb was placed in – and rejected by -- three more foster homes due to his behavior. He hasn’t had any disciplinary problems at the group home, where he receives weekly therapy, attends school, and is participating in some club sports. Caleb and Laine visit monthly for two hours and have sporadic contact by phone and email. Caleb’s caseworker told the group home supervisor that she thought Caleb was “better off” in the group home because his age and history of defiance make him “hard to adopt.”

Tasha completed inpatient treatment, secured housing, and obtained stable employment. The caseworker reports that Tasha attends court-mandated therapy irregularly and has not obtained the psychological evaluation that was ordered in her case plan. At the last hearing the judge expressed some reservations about whether Tasha could stay drug-free after completing treatment. During a sidebar, she told Tasha’s attorney that she’d “seen a lot of meth addiction in her time” and that “the meth wins more often than the mother.” Tasha maintains that she wants to complete treatment and therapy but that the therapist isn’t a good fit for her and that no one returns her call when she has tried to schedule the evaluation. The case manager hasn’t been able to produce a copy of the service referral for the court due to the adoption of new forms which caused problems with the agency’s automated case management systems. The system cannot read the file type of the new forms. For the first year, Tasha maintained regular weekly visitation with Caleb and Laine, but some recent visits have been cancelled due to positive drug screens. Tasha admits to using marijuana and claims she has a prescription for painkillers due to a work-related injury to her back. She also is in a volatile relationship with a new boyfriend whom she met in rehab.

The child welfare agency documented the relative placement as the reason it did not file to terminate parental rights at the 15-month mark, but the case now has progressed another 11 months. The family’s case is set for an upcoming review, and the guardian ad litem has filed a petition to terminate parental rights, which the agency joins as required by law.