Foster care situations generally strive for the reunification of children with the biological parents, but not all cases end that way.
When Ashley Mozley became a foster parent to 3-month-old twins in 2015, it was with the idea that they would eventually return home to their mother. But on Aug. 21, 2017, in the Bartholomew County Courthouse, Mozley’s adoption of the boy and girl was finalized.
Bryce and Brooklyn, now 3, were born addicted to heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, which resulted in their removal from their mother’s care, Mozley said.
Mozley currently has a third child in her Seymour home, a 14-month-old girl who also was born addicted, and for whom she has been providing foster care since March 3, 2017.
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If a child is removed from a home for neglect, often it’s related to the parent using drugs, said Brandy Pollock, program supervisor for foster care at National Youth Advocate program.
So far, the children have been fortunate in showing no after-effects after going through a withdrawal period as newborns, and have not missed any developmental benchmarks, Mozley said.
Help from Mozley’s church family and friends has allowed her to balance a full-time job, the children’s care and court appearances for the 14-month-old girl, she said.
Nonetheless, it’s challenging raising three small children as a single mother, the 35-year-old said.
Despite the challenges, Mozley said she wouldn’t change being a foster parent. It was something she had heard about from a friend and seen advertised, and thought about for two years, she said.
“I saw a need and I was capable. I knew I could do something, and if I didn’t I would have regretted it,” she said.
Mozley said she’s always loved children of all ages. She has nieces and nephews, and even was a nanny for two years.
She became a foster parent for NYAP and provided respite care for full-time foster families before she began caring for Bryce and Brooklyn full time.
Eventually, it became apparent that the twins would not be reunited with their mother, and that adoption would be considered. Mozley said she let it be known that she wanted to adopt the children.
“Pretty quickly after placement, I fell in love with them,” she said.
Usually a case is reviewed after 12 months to see if reunification is still possible, or if guardianship or adoption would be better for the child. If a child has not been in their home 15 out of 22 months, DCS has to file for termination, Martoccia said.
The number of parental rights termination filings increased dramatically in Bartholomew County from 2012 to 2016, jumping from 14 to 69, according to data released by the Indiana Youth Institute.
Mozley has an emotional bond with the 14-month-old girl, too, but she understands that her situation could still result in reunification with her family. That remains the plan, she said, and is part of being a foster parent.
“To me, being a good foster parent means giving your whole heart and life and knowing it can change in a second,” Mozley said. “I don’t think fostering matters if you’re not willing to do that.”
Should the girl reunify with her family, Mozley said she would take some time off as a foster parent before resuming. Should she end up adopting the girl, Mozley said she would only provide respite care in the future.
Mozley said she would encourage anyone who thinks they are capable of being a foster parent to look into it because of the help it provides a child.
