The Citizen Review Panel (CRP) examines all aspects of children's dependency court cases to determine whether children are safe and their needs are being met. Earlier this year, the CRP heard the case of two children who had recently been reunified with their mother and father. The children had originally been removed from the home due to inadequate supervision and hazardous conditions.
Their post-reunification progress reports were extremely positive. However, during the hearing, the mother began to cry as the allegations that brought the case in were recounted. The panelists assured her that, based on the reports, she appeared to be doing a great job. The mom admitted to having low self-esteem and further reported that her individual therapist, assigned after an assessment for services, had stopped coming to the home a month prior. The case manager, who was present at the hearing, was unaware of this and asked why the mom hadn't told her. The mom responded that she thought maybe the service was completed, but expressed a desire to continue. The CRP recommended that the therapy continue, and the case manager assured the panel she would follow up on compliance.
