Now that Eric Smith, (not real name) a 17-year-old foster child, has been declared a dependent of the court, he is on a mission to change the laws that regulate CPS. “No one should have to go through what I did,” he said, citing his nine months in CPS custody last year. “They treated me like I was a villain, instead of a victim. Why? Because they can.” Eric wants to see that stop. Just shy of 18, Eric is not yet able to fully tell his story. But that is not stopping him from writing letters to political officials and child welfare groups, recounting his experiences and proposing legislative changes. And what he can tell of his story, he does. On April 1 2011, an emergency CPS social work

Q. My stepdaughter just turned 18. We wanted to do a stepparent adoption, but her  father wouldn’t permit it. She doesn’t get along with her father (it’s a long story) and now that she’s 18, we heard that we can do an “adult adoption” without his permission. Can we do this? How would we do it? Fred A. Adult adoption is possible. In fact, it’s a pretty common question here at the law library—so much so that we created a step-by-step guide called “Adult Adoption in California” with instructions and sample forms. An adult adoption is when someone adopts a person who is 18 or over and not related to them. It changes the legal rights of both of you, and severs the existing relationship with

When Nancy Swift and husband Tom Chandler adopted 2-year-old Meskerem, Swift met Meskerem’s biological mother, who had one request: that her child be given every possible opportunity. On Tuesday morning, Swift, Chandler and Meskerem made the trip from their home in Mt. Shasta to Sacramento, where Meskerem joined 23 other children aged 12 and under in receiving their citizenship certificates. According to Swift, receiving the certificate is a big part of providing her adopted toddler with the opportunity her biological mother asked for. “She’s been such a blessing to us,” Swift said. “This is finalizing her status here in this country. It’s been a long journey to becoming a family.” Th

  Child’s Christmas in Wales is a new work, at least on the West Coast.  It was commissioned in 2003 for a mixed choir, soloists, and chamber symphony in New Jersey. Matthew Harris comes to us this Sunday with a composing track record as long as Santas beard, and with the kudos that come from doing much more with his choral scores than anyone ever expects. So I found out by Googling “Matthew Harris Composer”.  I asked two of the Chanteuses, who are also in the Camerata, how they liked the work.  They were excited, and now so am I. went to his website to check things out.  He is quite modest about commissions for choral works. There are plenty of them, and serious choral directors say it

The excitement was at a fever pitch last Sunday night at the 2010 Elly Awards. It was a full house heavily made up of young people.  A performance by the cast of Runaway Stage Productions’ “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” from the show of the same name got the night rolling. First up were awards for education plays and musicals, recognizing high school theater and young peoples’ plays and musicals, and programing aimed at children.  Educational Theater Twenty awards were awarded for education plays and musicals. These categories are for high school theater. St Francis High School of Sacramento and St. Mary’s High School of Stockton, both private Catholic high schools, tie

When children are brought into this world, the universal hope for them is a loving, supportive, healthy life, with loving parents, a good education, and every need met with the utmost satisfaction. The sad truth is that even in our own Sacramento community, children are placed into the foster care system. Child abuse, neglect, drug addiction, and poverty are only a few of the nightmares faced by many young members of our city. These kids never asked to be in these situations nor do they have much of a say as to what happens to them including where they live or where they go to school. This is where Sacramento Child Advocates comes in! They have Given a voice and protected the rights of ove

Most of us will never have to face the pain, confusion, and uncertainty that the parents of critically injured children face each day. On June 17th, a 2 year old Roseville girl was crossing the street in her grandfather's arms. Just when they were about to reach the other side, a car struck the grandfather. The little girl was thrown in the air, and landed several feet away on her head. Her grandfather suffered several broken ribs, a broken pelvis, and gashed his head from falling into the windshield. Luckily, a soldier and his friend were walking by, and together they were able to resuscitate the little girl and keep her grandfather stable until help arrived. The 2 year old girl is still