The Staffing

So it ended up being just the old cm, new cm, their supervisor, GAL and me. Dad texted and said he is working for the week in a nearby city and is unable to get away to come to the meeting or for a visit this week. Apparently this was the same reason last week. He said he's call on his lunch break, but never did.I heard that his section 8 housing has come up and he was on the list for Oct., however there are two stipulations...1) verifiable income and 2) 60 days till reunification. The supervisor said that he had neither so he has been taken off the list for now. That's not going to make him happy!

So...what we talked about and where we go from here....the OAG will be contacted in regards to getting a case plan. They will have to petition the court based on "probable cause." The way the woman explained it to me is that basically it will be treated similarly to when an initial allegation takes place (because he is non-offending this has not happened) however it is different because he is not the caregiver. So...IF he gets a case plan approved then they will give him only 6 months to complete it because he already has had the past 8 months to get his bootie in gear (and has nothing to show for it :( ).

My feelings on all of this?? He'll get a case plan and not work it and sometime about a year from now we'll be in the same situation that we are currently in with Little Man. Yep...I think we are looking at another 2 yr case :(

I had brought up for the record that the one visit that he did go on the baby was fed his breakfast but not his lunch and that he sucked down a bottle when he got home because he was so hungry! The new CM reported that when she picked him up from his visit at McDonalds that Dad was feeding baby an ICE CREAM CONE! Oh sheesh! The kid has trouble with milk-based formula for cryin out loud and is only 8 months old! I KNOW that his Dad loves him very much and I KNOW that he would never do anything to hurt this baby, but he just does not seem truly capable for caring for him on a daily basis. I say this from all information in general not just the ice cream.

Other relative caregivers are being contacted (Dad's sister and the maternal aunt/uncle) on their interest in caring for/adopting Baby. No one seems to think these will pan out. I guess time will tell! Both the next staffing and court date are in January..just before baby's first birthday!