He did not know, for example, that last summer Brianna and her foster family moved from a Columbia Heights apartment to a new single-family home. Closer contact with Brianna and her foster family fell to PSI, a private agency that contracts with the child welfare system to place neglected children with foster families. Executive Vice President Yvonne Ali has said she was shocked on Dec. 23 to hear about Queen's order sending Brianna and her sister back to Blackmond. But Ali said she was told that the matter had been settled without her consultation. The goal of the child welfare system is to return children to their biological parents whenever possible.
Foster parents agree to take children knowing that that can happen at any time.
Yvonne Dubose, a social worker from the city's Child and Family Services agency, inspected the home and told Adewusi she thought it was safe for the children. Adewusi initially disagreed, but says he relented after Blackmond's attorney agreed that there would be another adult in the home to help care for the children. That understanding, however, was never put in writing. Blackmond had been arrested once for drug possession. The charges were later dropped.