| If you are a parent, and are involved in child | | | | permanence. If children have spent a year in foster |
| protective proceedings attorney staten island, you | | | | care, courts and social workers are under |
| have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford | | | | considerable pressure to bring about a final resolution |
| an attorney, one will be appointed to represent you. | | | | of their cases. At that time, if the parents are not |
| If you are involved in child protective proceedings, | | | | ready to assume their responsibilities, or have not |
| exercise your right to counsel. Please do not assume | | | | lived up to the court's demands upon them, it is likely |
| that you can adequately represent yourself, or that | | | | that a proceeding will follow to permanently |
| the system is designed to protect your rights. You | | | | terminate parental rights. |
| will be consistently warned throughout proceedings | | | | While parents have a right to appeal from the |
| that you could face the permanent loss of your | | | | termination of parental rights attorney staten island, it |
| children as a result of the proceedings. That is no | | | | is rare for appellate courts to grant relief. Thus it |
| joke -- get a lawyer. | | | | bears repeating, you are best served by obtaining |
| Be forewarned that litigation in this area can be | | | | quality representation at the trial court level, at the |
| expensive -- but remember that your family is at | | | | earliest possible opportunity. |
| stake. | | | | Effect on the Extended Family |
| Defending Yourself | | | | When a relative's parental rights are terminated, the |
| Typically, your best ability to defend agains this type | | | | extended family's rights are terminated as well. If you |
| of proceeding will be in its initial stages. This is when | | | | have a relative whose children are at risk of being |
| many people try to proceed without lawyers staten | | | | taken from their home, you should consult with an |
| island, under the belief that if they consent to the | | | | attorney in your state about possible options which |
| court's taking jurisdiction over their children they will | | | | might protect your relationship with the children. That |
| somehow improve their chances of securing the | | | | may involve convincing the relative to voluntarily let |
| return of their children. The reality is usually quite | | | | you care for the children for a period of time while |
| different. Involving a competent lawyer at the start | | | | they get their act together. If the relative won't |
| of legal proceedings can help ensure that your rights | | | | cooperate, it may involve petitioning a court for a |
| are protected, and may even result in the return of | | | | guardianship over the children, giving you the right to |
| your children to your home. | | | | care for the children until the parents remedy the |
| Reforms in the 1990's have led to a system of laws | | | | problems in their home, but without the risk of the |
| in the United States that place a very high priority on | | | | state terminating parental rights. |