View Point

By John C. Bryant

Wednesday, September 8, 1999

Connecting with kids in need

Imagine what it means to be in permanent custody. Here are three scenarios:

Your parents have been arguing and assaulting each other for 15 years. You have four brothers and sisters. Your parents both abuse crystal methamphetamine or "ice." Their preferred method of discipline is hitting and screaming. Their parental rights are terminated and you are now in permanent custody. What happens to you and your siblings?

You are 14. Your father has been sexually abusing you for three years, proceeding from fondling to sexual intercourse. You tell your teacher. Child Protective Service is called. But your mother doesn't believe you and your father denies the behavior, so you are removed from your home permanently. Where are you going to live and with whom?

Both your parents are alcoholic. Since your mother drank throughout the entire pregnancy, you are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. CPS is called and your parents come to court inebriated. Their parental rights are terminated, and you are placed in permanent custody. Since you have extreme physical and mental special needs, what is your life going to be like now?

These examples are by no means uncommon. Close to 600 kids on Oahu have gone through similar situations.

The best resolution for children in permanent custody is to have them adopted by safe, loving and caring families in which they can learn how to love and live to their potential.

The Adoption Connection is a program instituted by the state Judiciary, under the leadership of Chief Justice Ronald Moon, to recruit good adoptive homes for these children.

The premise for Adoption Connection is that there are many decent people and families who would like to get involved and make a difference. But through lack of information or barriers, real or perceived, they have not yet done so.

This belief has shown itself to be real. The people of this community have very much stepped forward. And, frankly, the only way to really make significant improvement is to get the community involved.

DHS and Family Court can and have made best efforts to improve the recruitment of adoptive parents and improve the rate of adoptions, going from 25 in 1995 to 235 in 1998, but the problem remains.

The number of children in permanent custody is going up, not down. More cases are being filed, more parental rights are being terminated and more children are being placed in permanent custody.

Over a year ago, we started meeting and discussing the idea of an Adoption Connection. It has been a difficult process. We started with the Judiciary, DHS, The Casey Family Program and others -- such as guardian ad litems and foster parents. As we went along, we identified other persons and organizations, such as the Rotary Club, that we felt could make valuable contributions to this effort.

The idea has struck a chord in this community. Adoption Connection has raised more than $160,000 so far. None of it has come from state coffers.

Our media campaign, produced by Starr Seigle at no cost, ran TV spots this summer to raise the level of adoptive consciousness. They conveyed a simple yet powerful message: the basic need for family.

On Sept. 12, from 1-4 p.m., we will be having a public forum on adoption at Kamehameha Schools. Chief Justice Moon, first lady Vicky Cayetano and Dr. Susan Chandler of the state Department of Human Services will speak at the forum.

Mrs. Cayetano has graciously agreed to be the spokesperson for the Adoption Connection. The forum will be designed to give interested families an opportunity to get information on adoptions and to get their questions answered.

For more information, call project coordinator Jackie Schmid at 536-5976.

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John C. Bryant Jr. is a Hawaii Family Court judge.