I think that's part of it DJ- the part the PO and reentry lady share amongst themselves. There should still be stuff in writing so difficult child and I know PO requirements (no truancy, 2 PO visits per mo, etc) and then the stuff like Step mentioned for group home. As everyone knows, I had mixed feelings about difficult child coming straight home but I'm starting to be able to define - for myself- what is bothering me so much about this current situation. A few on the top of my head:
1) the lies and conflicting information, including telling difficult child he could be home in 3 mos when reentry lady told me that would not be possible and PO and super were sitting right there and heard that, too; they have lost their credibility with me
2) the PO keeping attny and me oout of room at beginning of VC then hearing from difficult child that's when they told him gh placement "because I said he wasn't ready to come home", which is not what I said- I said I didn't know- but what they said implies that I don't thinkk he's ready to be released and that he could come home except for me yet they know they were not leaving it up to me
3) when I asked difficult child's current staff at the facility questions like what his projected release date is, have they followed up with ABC, how is difficult child currently doing in his mandatory treatment, I get straight answers; when I ask PO or super, I hear "whenever we feel like it, it's not up to me to determine follow-up, they'll be the ones to determine how he's doing". That tells me that they are more focused on a power trip than the required policies of keeping difficult child and me informed and staying clear on their OWN method of having clear paths to graduated sanctions- and they are defensive and resent the parent being involved- it's about me kissing rear, unlike with staff in the facilities. Now attny just referred to it as lack of professionalism
4) Reentry lady said it would probably take difficult child over 8 mos to get thru the group home- she said that after reading over my list of 'stuff' that I'd typed up and taken to mtg with her and PO/super- ok- well I can see that if difficult child was currently home and we were having these problems, like when he was 13 yo and the gh was ordered in lieu of committment to Department of Juvenile Justice, however this approach is completely ignoring his time incarcerated and the fact that they have graduated sanctions, treatment requirements, etc, to earn their way out of incarceration- so they are taking the approach that difficult child has learned nothing from the past 18 mos so they are starting him over in gh program- IOW, I don't know if the problems exhibited before difficult child went to Department of Juvenile Justice would still be there and I don't know if he'd try harder after this release but I don't thinkk it's right to assume Department of Juvenile Justice was a waste of time altogether and require him to spend 5 weeks (as example) working thru an issue he had at home when he was 13 yo, after all this time in Department of Juvenile Justice and him coming out at 17.
5) PO is calling it a step-down but there are 2 problems with that- 1 is that a step-down isn't supposed to add time to the sentence and another is that they hhave taken the diversion program and are now calling it re-entry just because the funding objectives changed
6)Due to attitude of PO with resistance to outline and state requirements, the fact that the only thing this gh is changing from it's diversion program to make this reentry is to change ultimate objective to getting a kid out on their own which is modeled after the state's adult prisoner reentry plan, and neither difficult child or me rec'g anything at all in writing from PO about "parole plan" leads me to think they are iintentionally aging him out in the GH and tell him it's my fault.
Think about it- they led me to think they were reconsidering gh decision and, being holidays, I'm sure they knew I'd visit difficult child and tell him. Then they told me decision had been made all along but told difficult child it was because I said he wasn't ready- and they told us these things separately not at a time when I could deny it or they'd have to own up to decision in front of difficult child.
\Now they just told difficult child he could be out after 3 mos, knowing he won't and that it will be over 8, and I can just bet that somehow they'll try to convince him that's my fault, too.
What they think this approach is serving is beyond me. All I can see is that they are abusing their authority. They've made it clear that if there ever is any reunification (although reading between the lines, it doesn't look like they even want that), it will be a reward not the goal. Attny says this is not the intent of the judges and higher ups in regards to difficult children coming out of incarceration and having already served their time.
I'm preparing stuff to request a hearing before a judge to try to get a reunification plan ordered and a shorter lenghth in gh required if difficult child does what he's suppposed to- and mayber periodic reviews by a judge not just PO. If nothing else, difficult child will know beyond a shadow of a doubt who's lying the next time PO tries to tell him something misleading about this mess. difficult child will know it wasn't my intent to age him out of the system, avoid reunification, or add more sanctions to his time in Department of Juvenile Justice.