Cissy's note: This has been an exceptional series. Here's more about the entire series and an excerpt from the most recent essay.
In collaboration with Rise magazine, Jezebel is publishing a series of articles written by parents affected by the child welfare system. This post, the third in the series, features narratives by LaQuana Chapelle and Lashonda Murray, two mothers who themselves grew up in foster care. In New York City, an estimated 25 to 40 percent of mothers with children in foster care grew up in the foster care system; nationwide, 51 percent of children in foster care end up returning home.
LaQuana was separated from her seven-week-old son and her three older children after her seven-week-old was found to have a skull fracture. Although there was no evidence of abuse, LaQuana's inability to explain what occurred was found to be a sufficient reason to remove all of her children.
In Family Court, no answer is often the wrong answer. LaQuana's self-advocacy ultimately resulted in a relatively short foster care stay for her children and a legal victory against the City.
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