‘The Law Doesn’t Require You to Be an Outstanding Parent’

The NYT offers a rare look into the foster care system from the perspective of a birth parent. Vernice Hill hasn’t seen her daughters in five years, and she largely believes it’s because she’s poor — the evidence in her case, which is lasting a ridiculously long time, but that’s the norm, concurs. (“’She is not the perfect mom,’ said [an advocate for Ms. Hill]. ‘The law doesn’t require you to be an outstanding parent … You have to be an adequate parent. I know her very well. I know she loves her children very dearly.”)

Ms. Hill lives in a cramped apartment in the Bronx. Her daughters live with a family who takes them on Disney vacations.

On the flip side, foster parents dealing with the system: Fosterhood and Fosterwee.

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