Unfortunately, this meant that when she turned eighteen, the state was no longer legally “responsible” for Virginia. As a result she had to leave her foster home and the foster parents were told to have no further contact with her. Their future as foster parents for other children was linked to their compliance with the wishes of the caseworkers. Because of yet another inhumane child welfare policy—one aimed at reducing the system’s legal liabilities, not protecting children—Virginia lost the only parents she’d ever really known.
