For the past 15 years, I’ve opened my home — and my heart — to over 40 children in North Carolina’s foster care system. I’ve sat beside toddlers trembling from trauma, cheered for teens as they graduated high school, and held birth mothers’ hands during supervised visits. I’ve cried while standing behind protective glass in jails with parents, rode in ambulances, and spent countless nights in hospitals across the state with the children entrusted to our care.
I’ve picked up the pieces — again and again — when things were the hardest for both my family and the children we love. I’ve witnessed resilience that would inspire anyone. But I’ve also seen a system that too often adds confusion and delay to the pain children and families are already enduring.
That’s why I’m urging our state leaders to pass House Bill 612 into law.
This legislation isn’t just policy on paper. It’s a lifeline for the very children I’ve tucked in at night, advocated for in court, and prayed over as they transitioned to forever families. HB 612 addresses critical flaws in our current system — flaws that every foster parent, caseworker, and judge has struggled with for years.
The measure would streamline the path to permanency, so children aren’t left in limbo year after year, wondering what their future holds. It would give caregivers a real voice in court, recognizing that those of us walking daily with these children often understand their needs most clearly. And it would bring much-needed transparency and accountability to child welfare decisions — decisions that can change the entire course of a child’s life.
State oversight is essential
One of the most important elements of HB 612 is the strengthened accountability it would bring to the NC Department of Health and Human Services in overseeing local county social services. In my experience, the quality of child welfare services varies dramatically from county to county. The difference between a child thriving or suffering often comes down to nothing more than a ZIP code.
HB 612 would give the state a more active role in reviewing decisions by counties not to investigate reports of abuse or neglect — decisions that can have tragic consequences when left unchallenged. It would also require that cases involving conflicts of interest — such as when a DSS employee or their relative is involved — be transferred to another county for handling. These are basic safeguards that should have been in place long ago.
We can no longer afford a patchwork system in which some counties provide excellent support while others struggle to meet even minimum obligations. Our children deserve consistent, high-quality protection, no matter where they live. HB 612 would finally give the state the tools to ensure that happens.
Let’s commit to do what works
In my 15 years as a foster parent, I’ve seen what happens when the system works — and what happens when it doesn’t. I’ve watched children flourish when they’re surrounded by stability, support, and clarity. I’ve also seen them spiral when bureaucracy overrides their best interests, or when caregivers are silenced in courtrooms where their voices should matter most.
HB 612 is a chance to do better. Not just for foster parents like me, but for the thousands of children who deserve safety, healing, and a future they can count on.
The bill has passed the House unanimously and is moving through Senate where it passed unanimously through its first committee. That tells me our leaders understand the urgent need for reform. Now, it moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee, one of the final steps in its journey to become law.
Let’s not waste this moment. Let’s continue working together — across party lines and personal experiences — to build a foster care system that truly puts children first. Because after 15 years, I can tell you this with complete certainty: our children don’t have time to wait.