Grandparents search for answers in aftermath of mysterious custody denial

September 26, 2006

By MARY AMES/Frontiersman

WASILLA - Rick and Ruby Ewing are grandparents frustrated in their attempts to regain custody of their granddaughter, who was put in foster care in Oregon when her mother went to jail.

After a year and a half of trying to get Tabby back under their roof, the Ewings spoke to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman and told their story to the state's Citizen Review Panel at its meeting last week.

The Ewings were the only people who showed up to speak about their family's experiences with the Wasilla Office of Children's Services.

The Ewings raised Tabby, who is almost 16, for the first 12 years of her life. But two years ago, Tabby insisted she wanted to live with her mother in Portland, Ore., and they let her go.

&#8220Now our granddaughter is in foster care, and her mom is in jail,” Ruby Ewing said. &#8220We know we were declined custody, but no one will tell us why.”

Rick Ewing said he and Ruby had jumped through every hoop.

&#8220We bared our souls to everyone,” he said. &#8220We've been fingerprinted and taken monitored urinalysis, which tested clean. We don't know what to fix.”

Sylvan Robb, CRP project coordinator, said the Ewings could file a grievance form, which would help them work through the layers at OCS. But Rick Ewing said he had done that.

He stood around for more than 10 minutes while workers came out of their offices to &#8220peek at him,” he said.

&#8220Then they told me their printer was broken, and they had no forms on hand,” he said. &#8220They said I could get one online.”

Kenneth Kirk, the Anchorage attorney who successfully sued OCS in federal court for denying people due process, said he has heard different versions of the same story.

Many people perceive they are not well treated by OCS, Kirk said. Alaska statutes mandate families be the first choice for custody, but in his experience, OCS seems to follow a different philosophy. That office's view of family dynamics is that if one person is in trouble, they all are tainted, he said.

&#8220They often see ways to undermine the statutes,” he said.

And, since their granddaughter is in foster care in Portland, the Ewings need a lawyer from Oregon, he said.

The Ewings aren't just upset about the local OCS office. They are worried about Tabby.

&#8220We're in touch by phone and the foster parent in Oregon is really nice,” Rick Ewing said. &#8220We're concerned for her frame of mind. She was raised here most of her life. She was born in Alaska. Her friends are here.”

The Ewings and their granddaughter have had their lives on hold for a long time, Ruby Ewing said. &#8220I just want her to come home,” she said. &#8220We'll take it from there.”