It has been a long grueling process extending over four years for those who have worked on this project but the light can now be seen at the end of the tunnel. It is hoped that during the 2011 legislative session of the North Dakota legislature that what was once a dream will become reality
It isn’t–yet. But step by step, it get closer:
•2008: Individually, but one by one, finding each other and coming together, families know they need to be heard
•2009: Contacts with legislators and testimony leads to passage of SB 2420 calling for an ombudsman program study
•2009-2010: Testimony continues through hearings of the Judicial Process Committee
•2010: Bill draft to go before the committee
•2011: GOAL: Passage of legislation to create an independent ombudsman program to hear the concerns of families involved with child welfare services in North Dakota
A hearty thanks especially to:
Sheri McMahon
Margi Jakobson
Kim Kay McCarty, and in memory of her son John
Rose Bond and son Richard
Leon and Nicole Francis
Kathleen Pike
Carol Conrad
Melanie Anderson
others who have appeared, have provided written testimony, and who have told their stories.
Below is the first draft of the bill which will go to committee in the ND legitlature for the 2011 session:
Filed under: Birth Parents, Child Protective Services, Foster Care, Foster Care Reform, Foster Kids, Foster Parents | 2 Comments »
