By Destiny Kensinger
with Lillian Hewko
I’m Destiny Kensinger.
I’m a reunified child formally in foster care. My story began when I was 6. My
dad went to prison, so my 4 younger siblings and I were left with my mom. When
I was 11, we were taken into foster care. It was a pretty bad situation, but we
were all able to stay in the same home. My little brother got to live with his
father within 2 weeks of being in the system. When I was 12, my dad got out of
prison and started to step up to the plate. Eventually, through some obstacles,
he was able to get us back. Fortunately, in my case, the timing worked out
perfectly. But if he had gotten out a year later or even 6 months later, he
wouldn’t have been able to get us back. Who knows what would have happened to us
or whether we would have been able to stay together or not. I can’t imagine our
lives without my dad. Life with dad though is great. Little Victoria is a track
star and Shania just made varsity for the basketball team at the junior high. I just finished my basketball season up at
Bothell High School and am about to start softball. I’m planning to go to
college. Izabella is starting to experiment in the kitchen. On behalf of myself
and my 4 sisters and all the other children who are in foster care, please
consider SHB 1284 seriously as we were lucky, we just met the timeline but not
all other families are as fortunate.
Stories like Destiny’s remind us that it is impossible to
measure the power of the human will and spirit. However, as Destiny explained,
many families working equally as hard to stay together aren’t so lucky. The
current law requires the state to terminate parental rights when a child is in
out of home care for 15 of the last 22 months. There are exceptions to this timeline;
however, parents can rarely overcome the stigma and stereotypes that lead many
of us to believe that a child is better off without their incarcerated parent.
We see this even though studies have shown that maintaining contact with one’s
incarcerated parent can reduce feelings of abandonment and improve emotional
response during separation.
This is why Legal Voice is urging the passage of SHB 1284,
the Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill. The bill takes into consideration
the barriers that confront incarcerated parents and parents in residential
substance abuse treatment programs. It ensures
that when it is in the best interest of the child, families working hard to
stay together will be seen and heard by our child welfare system. A system
which often moves too quickly to truly consider what is at stake for a young
person like Destiny.
By supporting SHB 1284, we seek to recognize the collective
struggle of children and their families to stay together. Let’s choose to
acknowledge our youth, our future, and tell our legislators to support SHB
1284!
Update:
SHB 1284 passed the
House 96-1! Please take the time to thank Reps Roberts and
Walsh. Email them at:
maryhelen.roberts@leg.wa.govmaureen.walsh@leg.wa.gov
Action Needed:
SHB 1284 will be
heard this Thursday, March 14th at 10 am in front of the Senate Human Services and
Corrections Committee, please write an email to each of the Human Services and
Corrections committee members asking them to support SHB 1284:
AND
Sample Email/Comment:
Dear Mr. Chair and Committee Members,
I am writing in support of SHB 1284. I believe that
incarcerated parents, parents in residential substance abuse treatment programs
and their children need a more fair chance to work toward reunification. We
need to allow time, when necessary, to find safe permanency options that do not
involve severing familial ties forever. [Add personal story, if applicable, for
your support].
Unnecessarily separating families is devastating to children
in foster care, their incarcerated parents, and our communities. Whereas,
keeping families together keeps our communities safer and more supported as
family reunification is linked to reduced recidivism, greater family stability
and improved emotional response for children. Please support SHB 1284.
Name/Address
Destiny Kensinger is a 15 years old freshman at Bothell High
School. In her free-time she enjoys playing sports and spending time with
friends. She isn’t exactly sure what she wants to be when she is older, but
with her drama and acting classes she is considering a career in acting.
photo of Veteran Parent Shanye Rochester and fellow advocate Destiny Kensinger.
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