Ellen and Paul Russell moved from Mississippi to Texas following Paul?s persistent feeling that they should relocate to be available to his family. This was more than a ?hunch? as Paul had been praying about it for some time.
So off they went, establishing themselves in Bryan, and at the end of a third uneventful year, they got their first call from Child Protective Services (CPS). CPS had removed one child from the home of one of Paul?s siblings, a parent of five, and the Russells agreed to take him in temporarily. Thus began a series of back-and-forths with CPS and varying numbers of the children revolving in and out of their home.
On Mother?s Day 2010, the Russells got the call that CPS had removed all five children at once and the kids were on their way to Austin. By midnight of the following Monday, Ellen and Paul had jumped through the necessary hoops and were tucking in their new little houseguests: Dylon (age 11), Xavier (8), Jacob (7), Anna (6), and Jeremiah (2).
When they attended their first court hearing, the Russells heard for the first time the persistent stories of abuse and neglect the children had endured, beginning when the oldest was just two months old. This was the turning point, when Aunt Ellen and Uncle Paul realized that they would do everything in their power to become Mom and Dad to these innocent and hurting children. ?We decided then that we were going to fight for the kids,? Ellen said.
Going from zero to five children is a daunting adjustment, but the Russells, who are unable to have their own biological children, recognized it as ?what the Lord has in store for us.? Two of the children, Jacob and Jeremiah, have Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), also called Martin-Bell Syndrome, an inherited intellectual disability with symptoms ranging from mild to severe. A precursor of autism, Fragile X patients may also experience speech and language disorders, seizure disorders, attention deficits, social anxiety, and increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli.
Jacob, who has been diagnosed with autism and severe FXS, was able to be potty-trained after six months with the Russells, and while he needs a lot of help with everyday tasks such as eating, drinking, walking, and bathing, is thriving on the consistent routine and therapies he?s now receiving. Jeremiah, at only two, has mild-to-low spectrum FXS and has been able to benefit from the early intervention.
Almost a year ago, Ellen and Paul began working with the LSS office in Bryan/College Station and received their foster care license, along with the ongoing support that comes from being a LSS Foster In Texas (FIT) parent. One perk is respite care, a service the Russells took advantage of for a well-deserved weekend getaway. Their good friends kept all five kids for them and reported that the two youngest boys were glued to the window calling their names and awaiting their return. Ellen says that when they arrived back on Sunday, ?the kids ran to us, hugging and kissing us, and I tell you what, when you walk in the door and have five kiddos run you over with hugs and kisses and wanting to tell you all they did over the weekend, you can?t feel more loved than at that moment!?
The Russells soon moved from foster care to adoptive placement with LSS, and once rights of the mother and father of the four oldest children were legally terminated, Ellen and Paul adopted Dylon, Xavier, Jacob, and Anna on August 17, 2011. They have applied for Permanent Managing Conservatorship (PMC) of Jeremiah, who has a different bio father. There is a one-year waiting period after the granting of PMC, and Ellen says they ?will continue to fight for him as long as we have to, to keep him with his brothers and sister.?
Along with their busy new lives as Mom and Dad, Paul owns an appliance repair business and both of the Russells are in school; Paul will get his bachelor?s degree next fall and Ellen is pursuing a master?s in Speech Language Pathology. Ellen sums up their journey this way: ?I think the best thing about everything that we have been through is that the Lord is using us to hopefully bless these children, so that we can give them the chance to have better lives, to hopefully become God-fearing, reverent, successful adults one day. This has not only been a blessing to the kiddos but also to Paul and me. This just brings us to a new place and journey in our lives, helping us to grow in the process.?
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About Kinship Care
To be approved as a kinship caregiver, individuals or families must:
- Complete the verification process through a child placing agency like Lutheran Social Services, to become foster parents for their related child;
- Serve as the child?s foster parent(s) for at least six months;
- Negotiate and sign a Permanency Care Assistance (PCA) Agreement with DFPS; and
- Go to court and receive Permanent Managing Conservatorship (PMC) or adoptive placement.
Source: http://www.fosterintexas.org/2011/09/when-kin-step-in-a-story-of-kinship-foster-care-adoption/
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