ASFA was passed so that foster children would not drift in the system indefinitely. The core of the law calls for parental rights termination (TPR) when a child has been in care for 15 out of the most recent 22 months.
Exceptions in the law allow foster children to remain as fosters for years, without hope of being legally adopted and at risk of being moved from placement to placement based on caseworker whim. Judges routinely ignore the 15/22 month rule. It is said that judges would rather hear a capital murder case than a TPR case.
Enforce adherence to the law and close the loopholes. Children deserve the chance of permanency via adoption, not to be left in legal limbo while parents are given years of repeated chances and failures.
For reference: http://tinyurl.com/ASFA-Fail



