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Pollard family tells U.S. Commission advisers child was removed and adopted out despite kinship offers
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Summary
At the June NC advisory committee forum, members of the Pollard family reported that a baby born in 2019 was removed, kinship caregivers were not considered, and the child was later adopted; the family asked the committee to reopen the case and raised concerns about financial incentives under the Adoption and Safe Families Act.
At a North Carolina Advisory Committee forum convened in June, members of the Pollard family described a multi-year dispute in which their granddaughter, Tayeva (born April 2019), was removed from hospital custody, placed outside the family and ultimately adopted, they said.
Evelyn Bethea, identifying herself as the child's great-aunt and a licensed social worker, told the committee she was never considered for kinship placement despite being available. "This adoption needs to be reversed," Bethea said. Yvonne Pollard, the child's maternal grandmother, said hospital staff reported her daughter based on past history rather than any current safety concern and that the family was pressured to create a safety plan under threat of foster care.
Pollard said family members with military, firefighting, nursing and other ties were blocked from placement or contact and that petitions for custody were ignored. "They adopted her," Pollard said, adding that the family was not given notice and that the separation has lasted nearly five years. In testimony the family cited a figure of "$4 to $12,000 per child" in federal adoption-related payments under the Adoption and Safe Families Act; the committee did not verify that dollar range during the forum.
Family allies described the adoption as traumatic and urged reversal. Lynn Mintz, a family friend, said the child was clearly bonded with relatives and characterized the adoption without notice as "kidnapping." Another speaker said a medically complex grandchild placed in out-of-home care was getting poor treatment and urged immediate action to reopen the case.
The committee did not make a determination at the forum. Speakers asked the advisory committee to include the case in its study and to recommend review of placements, kinship consideration, and whether termination-of-parental-rights processes complied with legal protections. Committee staff invited written documentation and said written comments will be accepted through Sept. 23, 2024; the advisory committee will use testimony and submissions to inform its report to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
