best interests

Latonia Rolbiecki, a Minnesota woman who has been trying to adopt her grandson from foster care, has lost her case before the state appeals court. The decision paves the way for the child to be adopted by his foster parents, John and Avery Bird. 

“[V]arious debunked mental health theories continue to exert inappropriate influence over the decisions of family courts.” – Nichols (2013) We all agree we want what’s best for children. To do that, we must base our legal decisions on the best possible science.

Courts make a variety of decisions that affect children, including placement and custody determinations, safety and permanency planning, and proceedings for termination of parental rights. Whenever a court makes such a determination, it must weigh whether its decision will be in the “best interests” of the child.