I am a foster parent in Oklahoma, today I received a letter in the mail from my county DHS office stating that Fox 23 News and World Publishing Companyaka Tulsa World had filed a lawsuit in Tulsa county against DHS. This letter was giving our home an out to DHS releasing personal information to the court in Tulsa County. I have nothing to hide so we will not opt out of our information being shared.

Yes there are horrible foster homes and that makes me sick to my stomach, how dare a home open their doors to children to further victimize them. What upsets me is those of us who open our home and our hearts to children in need have to defend themselves. There are horrible parents out there, but do you ever feel the need to defend yourself as a parent. There are horrible teachers out there, does the whole teacher population feel the need to defend themselves and so on and so forth.

I am very open to anything or anyone making enough noise out there to get the changes needed to make our Foster Care System work. I, as a foster parent, have seen it fail miserably time and time again. We are not helping these kiddos, the system itself continues to vicitimize the kids. Yes do investigate DHS and licensed foster homes, my guess is those who do opt out have something to hide and I say shame on YOU! I would also hope that this was extended to kinship homes and tribal homes.

There have been two children that we had in our home victimized in kinship placements. For those of you who do not know, kinship placement is a home a child is placed in that is either a relative or a close family friend whom the children had a personal relationship with before being placed in state custody.

One child was placed with grandparents after a lengthy hearing having two attorneys against the move, the DHS caseworker against the move, but a supervisor at DHS and the county ADA had a vandetta to carry out and did so with a child. Guess what, that child was beat by step-grandpa. Another child that is still in a current kinship placement is in the home of a convicted felon who spent time in a state prison for drug trafficking and also has convictions of domestic abuse.

So yes, I say go after DHS and their reckless conduct of licensing homes that should have never been licensed in the first place. They are reckless in all that they do. I wish I had the perfect answer, but I don't. What I do know is that we owe these children and they deserve so much better.

First they deserve better from the very people who brought them into this world, the parents, where the trouble begins. Second, if it is needed for children to be put in state custody make darn sure it is protective custody, not further victimization. Make it right for the kids, please!!!!

I would help in anyway that I can. I have tried, my complaints my concerns fall on deaf ears and those ears do belong on the heads of elected officials.