DC foster mother seeks to adopt four-year-old foster child who has been in neglect system nearly half her life

Client(s) Client GG

AM is a four-year-old girl who has been in and out of the Washington, DC neglect system since June 2008. AM's mother has a 20-year history of drug addiction and has been unable to remain sober for an extended amount of time during AM's life. During her time in the neglect system, AM has had several temporary foster placements, none of which offered a long-term home for AM.

Our client, GG, become AM's foster mother in July 2009 as a result of an emergency placement. Within weeks, GG, or "Grandma" as AM calls her, asked whether she could be a permanent placement for AM. Soon thereafter, GG sought to adopt AM. Through its partnership with the Children's Law Center, the firm became involved in the case in October 2010. We proceeded to file a petition for adoption on behalf of GG and represented her interest at several hearings. Importantly, we represented GG in a show cause hearing on May 4 and May 6, 2011, where we successfully established that AM's birth mother's rights should be waived because (i) the birth mother had abandoned AM, and (ii) the birth mother was withholding her consent to the adoption contrary to AM's best interest.

Ex Parte in the Matter of the Petition of G.G., Adoption Case No. A-228-10