PA / NJ Family Law Attorney- Moshinski Law, P.C.

10/11/2022

It's FAFSA time .... current and former older teens who were in foster care - please your eligibillity and take advantage of the tuition waiver !
(i.e. - if you exited care on or after age 16 to adoption or PLC)

07/13/2022

Boy adopted from Sierra Leone experiences his first birthday celebration

Boy adopted from Sierra Leone experiences his first birthday celebration

07/12/2022

Debra Binnig Moshins on TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR2cKC32/?k=1

05/21/2022

Sisters surprise stepmom by asking her to adopt them in emotional video

Sisters surprise stepmom by asking her to adopt them in emotional video

Gabriella and Julianna Ruvolo open up about their viral TikTok video, where they ask their stepmom to adopt them.

02/18/2022

Pandemic cash assistance for eligible applicants | Department of Human Services

Pandemic cash assistance for eligible applicants | Department of Human Services

A $800 one-time cash payment is available to eligible current and former youth and young adults who were involved with Philadelphia DHS.

08/31/2021

Amazing news❗️If you are:
✅ Currently OR formerly in foster care.
✅ AND between the ages of 14-26 years old.
You may be eligible for a one-time cash assistance payment of $800!
Fill out a fast and easy survey to see if you’re eligible. It’s first-come, first-served, so apply ASAP!
👉🏾https://www.phila.gov/older-youth-pandemic-relief
Valley Youth House Turning Points for Children Turning Points for Children-LifeSet Program

08/25/2021

Reach out today for a free consultation !

A+ Custody Lawyer!
I initially engaged Deb for a custody case and have been very grateful ever since. She was able to win sole custody for the father, which seemed like a dream when we started the process. Deb was able to accomplish what seemed like an impossible task in the City of Philadelphia, and a child's life and our lives are immeasurably better as a result. She was understanding of the matter, an excellent communicator with the child, and fantastic with keeping us in the loop on all procedures. I would recommend her to anyone seeking counsel in any of the fields she specializes in.
Posted by Roman S. on 08/20/2021

07/09/2021

Former Luzerne County Children and Youth director facing criminal charges | Times Leader

Former Luzerne County Children and Youth director facing criminal charges | Times Leader

Former Luzerne County Children and Youth Director Joanne Van Saun has been charged with failing to investigate hundreds of reports of child abuse and neglect and covering up the cases with false…

06/24/2021

Senate Bill 78, known as Kayden’s Law, just passed the Pennsylvania Senate! Kayden’s Law is named for Kayden Mancuso, a seven-year-old from Lower Makefield Township, who was killed in August 2018 by her biological father during a court-ordered, unsupervised visit granted following a year-long custody dispute. The legislation would help protect children by making their safety and welfare the principle focus in any custody dispute. No child in Pennsylvania should ever be left alone with an abuser, period. Kayden’s Law will help ensure that that never happens again.

02/27/2021

There’s a new rental assistance program for Philly youth aging out of foster care

Check out this opportunity for Philly youth aging out of foster care!

Youth ages 20 to 21 who are aging out of Philly’s child welfare system can apply to the Older Youth Rental Assistance Program run by DHS and Valley Youth House.

02/08/2021

Pandemic creates need for foster families locally

Pandemic creates need for foster families locally

When Mick and Jenn O’Neil decided to adopt, the complications created by the COVID-19 pandemic never made them question their choice.

02/08/2021

2021 Toyota Big Game Commercial: Jessica Long's Story | Upstream

It might not be easy, but it WILL be AMAZING !

Jessica Long’s story is one of an unsinkable spirit. From double amputee to Paralympic champion. 13-time Paralympic gold medalist Jessica Long and Toyota sho...

11/17/2020

PA / NJ Family Law Attorney- Moshinski Law, P.C.'s cover photo

11/17/2020

PA / NJ Family Law Attorney- Moshinski Law, P.C.

10/19/2020

Filming Social Workers During Home Inspections Legal, Superior Court Says | The Legal Intelligencer

Important victory for Parents in dependency cases- Parents have a first amendment right to film DHS workers during investigations !
(***Please note that right is not absolute and is subject to reasonable restrictions***)
Call today for a free case analysis.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled in favor of a couple who claimed that a judge curtailed their First Amendment rights by not allowing them to film employees from the Philadelphia Department of Human Services conduct a home inspection.

09/18/2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies at 87

Rest East Notorious RBG ⚖️🙏

“Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said in a statement.

09/18/2020

DON’T LET THE FACT THAT YOUR INNOCENT ALLOW YOU TO PUT YOUR GUARD DOWN. Parents ~ don't be naive, this can happen to YOU !

SCENARIO (posted with permission): 5 month-old baby boy with history of eczema has a flare-up on Sunday; parents monitor and apply prescription meds for the first 24 hours. On Monday, parents put baby down for a nap. When baby wakes up, parents notice that the baby has scratched one rash open (on his cheek) and that his right cheek is slightly bleeding. His skin has slight discoloration now and his left eyelid is slightly swollen (all symptoms of eczema). Parents call the baby’s P*P and the P*P's office (that is getting ready to close) instructs the parents to take the baby to the local children’s hospital.

At some point, someone at the hospital reports the child as having “unexplained injuries.” That report is called into the Pennsylvania child abuse hotline. Unbeknownst to parents, over the next 24-48 hours, many of the medical personnel / hospital staff that are coming to talk to them are from the hospital’s child abuse investigative team. Parents have no idea, at this point, that they are being investigated for child abuse. Parents don't really become suspicious until they realize that the child is medically cleared for discharge but that the hospital isn't discharging him.

Unbeknownst to parents, the child is on what is called a “social hold.” Basically, the child is not going to be discharged until the county agency arrives and investigates the "unexplained injuries." When the investigator arrived, parents were interviewed separately. (Parents CAN refuse to be interviewed by the county child welfare agency... which I'll save for a separate post). I was present during mother's interview and father had separate counsel present during his interview.

Thankfully, the baby was not taken into custody; mom, dad and baby left he hospital together! (There’s a safety plan in effect … I will discuss the legalities of safety plans in a future post, but all in all ~ successful outcome.)

County child abuse investigators save lives, but sometimes they get it wrong!

REMEMBER ~ AS A PARENT, YOU HAVE THE ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO HAVE PRIVATE COUNSEL PRESENT DURING THE INITIAL INTERVIEW WITH THE COUNTY INVESTIGATIVE WORKER.

It may be the difference between your child going home and going into ‘the system.’

08/30/2020

Consultations for defending or obtaining PFA's are always free!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Good Evening Attorney Debra,

Please accept my apology for this delayed response, and be assured that it in no way reflects the profound gratitude I feel for your generosity.

From your 1st call with ###X, to the conclusion of the case, you have been nothing but kind, understanding, compassionate, and Ready to defend him.

You immediately stepped right in with a sympathetic ear and a determination to defend My Son, and for this I AM TRULY GRATEFUL.

May God continue to richly Bless you!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Warmest Regards,
######, A truly Grateful Mother

08/12/2020

Virtually Adopted ! 💕🌈

06/19/2020

PA Supreme Court Rules No Forced Drug Tests in Child Welfare Investigations

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Superior Court, unanimously holding that “In no event does the CPSL [Child Protective Services Law] expressly or implicitly authorize collecting samples of bodily fluids, without consent, for testing.”

CLS contributed to a big victory for Pennsylvania families! On June 16, 2020 the PA Supreme Court unanimously held that Children & Youth agencies cannot force a parent to submit a drug screen in the context of a child welfare investigation.

06/03/2020

03/24/2020

Exes sheltering in place together? Parents withholding visitation? Co-parenting during a pandemic gets messy, fast.

https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-coparent-divorce-separation-custody-quarantine-isolation-20200324.html

With the courts closed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, lawyers say, there’s little recourse but to work it out if parents can — or wait it out if they can’t.

03/04/2020

Wanted, Chosen, Loved, 💕

03/04/2020

💕💙💕💙

02/14/2020

Big Sister Again 🌸

02/14/2020

Worth the Wait 💙

02/14/2020

Timeline Photos

02/11/2020

01/30/2020

Josh Pray

To all those great social workers out there doing their job !

5 Reasons to LOVE the Case workers😁😁😁

01/30/2020

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

After aging out of foster care at age 21, Joe Toles committed his life to ensuring other at-risk youth always have a place to call home. He has adopted seven boys from foster care, including four sons through the Foundation's Wendy's Wonderful Kids program.

"I tell my sons that the world belongs to them. They have beaten the odds," Joe shared. "Every year, thousands of teenagers, like them, age out of foster care without a permanent family. Through adoption, they now have an opportunity to write a happy ending to their story."

Read more and watch at http://bit.ly/2Nluv5q

01/11/2020

Localish

Localish

This Philadelphia teacher and her husband dropped everything to adopt a 5-year-old student named Santo and give him a new life!

01/11/2020

6abc Action News

6abc Action News

BEST FIELD TRIP EVER! Preschoolers in Woodbury, Gloucester County took a very special field trip to the courthouse to watch their classmate, Moe Diezmos, get adopted! ❤
https://6abc.com/family/preschool-students-support-classmate-during-courthouse-adoption/5834633/

12/14/2019

‘I just wanted to thank all of you for hard work and consistently moving forward to help us get to today. We have been blessed with not only an awesome little boy but having all of you in our lives to ensure that AIden is in good hands and all his needs are met. You really have all added positivity into our lives. Thank you so much!’

12/04/2019

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11/29/2019

Pennsylvania Custody Legislation: Two Bills, Two Extremes | The Legal Intelligencer

Pennsylvania Custody Legislation: Two Bills, Two Extremes | The Legal Intelligencer

Introduced on May 6, HB 1397 seeks to amend the custody provisions of Title 23, such that a 50/50 custody schedule is a rebuttable presumption. On the other end of the spectrum, SB 868, which was introduced on Sept. 30, focuses on the issues of domestic violence and its potential effect on children....

11/27/2019

DUI Patrol To Cover The Entire Length of Street Road in Bucks County on Thanksgiving Eve

https://wpst.com/dui-patrol-to-cover-the-entire-length-of-street-road-in-bucks-county-on-thanksgiving-eve/

The entire length (all 18 miles) of Street Road in Bucks County will be patrolled by officers as part of a roving DUI patrol this Thanksgiving Eve.

11/15/2019

From the Editor: Makes perfect sense

'The kids are crying’: Three-part series chronicles despair, displacement and what DHS plans to do.

“We should not ignore or defend the failures that exist within the system.” D. Oh
Read the series here : http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/

This week’s cover story is the culmination of six months of tireless reporting, scouring documents and meeting with upset families just looking for answers.

11/12/2019

Approximately 13,000 children in Pennsylvania are in foster care. There are many ways to support foster care youth without becoming a full time foster parent. Did you know that your family can become a ‘respite parent’ - caring for a foster child short-term or on an emergency basis? Sometimes children only need a safe home for one or two nights while their extended family is located.