Emmy's Review Panel

I attended the first review panel for Emmy's case today, so I'm going to try to update you the best that I can and give you a clear picture of what it was like.

It was held in a conference room at the courthouse. We waited in a different waiting room than the huge court waiting room I had experienced with Zizi. It was much less intimidating and less overwhelming, especially because I was so familiar with all of the other team members in attendance. Here's a run-down of who all attended the panel:

• The panel supervisor who reports directly to the judge.
• 2 members of the panel who mediate the meeting and make official recommendations based on what they hear.
• The CASA
• The CASA's supervisor
• Emmy's DFACS Case Worker
• Volunteer lawyer representing Emmy. (He visited with the CASA recently, so I had gotten to know him a bit before.)
• The Early Intervention Specialist
• Myself
• Emmy
• Our agency case manager
• A few interns from various departments
• and a uniformed officer

Emmy's mom was not present, but she was present via speaker phone in the center of the conference table.

First, we all went around the room to introduce ourselves. Then, we went around the room giving updates from every person involved. This was really the only time that I actually spoke in the meeting.

I wish I could say that the meeting went wonderfully, but that was just not the case. Unfortunately, there was a lot of drama among the panel, and things got a little heated at times. However, in the end, decisions were made that I believe will be in Emmy's best interest. Within the next 30 days, papers will be filed to begin what most people call "TPR," or termination of parental rights. You can imagine that this news was not received well by Emmy's mom, but the panel supervisor made it very clear that Emmy's mom is the one who has control over whether or not Emmy returns home or is put up for adoption.  If she is able to follow the case plan, she will still get Emmy back. If not, she won't. Filing for TPR, from what I can understand, is basically a wake up call to say, "OK...if you weren't taking us seriously before, you now have a very limited time to prove yourself before the court, because we are proceeding as though your child will be adopted out of your care." 

I hate that I didn't have the opportunity to look into Emmy's mother's eyes and offer grace and understanding, but the Lord knows what He's doing, and He will give me that opportunity when and if the time is right. For now, my responsibility is to Emmy - to offer her a sense of stability while these storms unknowingly rage around her. I did bring Emmy's mom a framed photo of Emmy along with several other photos that she can switch out as much as she would like. I hate that she hasn't been able to see Emmy for the last 2 months. What a different child she is these days!!

While these papers are being filed, it is only the beginning of an even longer process to find a permanent placement for Emmy. She could still return to mom. She could still be adopted by a family member. Any number of things could affect the outcome of this case. I take great comfort in the capabilities of the people on Emmy's team. I have developed a love and respect for many of the people fighting on her behalf, and I look forward to the day when we will all celebrate a happy ending for Emmy - whatever that may be!

Thank you for praying. Continue to pray for Emmy's mom, and continue to pray over the future and the potential family members that might still come forward to adopt Emmy.