We had some great news a few weeks ago, termination was granted on both parents on May 16. We have been waiting the mandatory 30 days to allow the parents time to file appeals. I didn't think they would do that because it would be one more step they had to take.
But, I got an email today saying appeals have been filed. Now the case will go before a new judge who will review everything and decide if termination should still be granted or if it wasn't necessary to begin with. If he decides termination of parental rights isn't the best decision, the case basically starts over. From my understanding, everything that has happened so far is basically sealed in a file and new evidence has to be gathered.
The thought of going back to visits and having to wait for the parents to make enough mistakes for rights to be terminated again is not a pleasant thought.
I am told that most times the original ruling is upheld during an appeal. Let's hope that's the case. Either way, it will be about 6 months before a decision is made. The good news is nothing changes during this 6 months. No visits, no court dates, no team meetings.
