In the case of 13-year-old Sandra (name changed), who steadfastly refused to be deported to her mother in Brazil shortly before her scheduled departure (see article: "Deportation: An Officially Approved Nightmare"), there is now a – provisional – happy ending. The guardianship authority in Rheinfelden recently decided that Sandra can live with her half-brother's grandparents. These new foster parents live near her father.
The backstory was turbulent: The Rheinfelden district court had ordered Sandra's return to her father, but she preferred to live with him and in her familiar social environment. After the failed reunification, the girl didn't go to her father, but instead spent more than two weeks in a juvenile detention center and was subsequently placed with a foster family who also had ten other children to care for. Sandra didn't feel comfortable there at all.
The current solution, however, satisfies all parties involved. Sandra's father, Helmut Baldauf, says: "Until the court decides on custody, this is certainly the best solution." The guardianship authority in Rheinfelden also believes that the arrangement is in the child's best interests – contrary to the earlier court ruling. This is because Sandra's mother, who has moved back to Switzerland, still has custody. Sandra's father doesn't yet know when he will apply to the court for a change in custody: "At the moment, I lack the financial means because I first have to pay off the outstanding costs of the repatriation proceedings, and there's also a pending criminal investigation for child abduction."
According to Karin Bona-Traber of the guardianship authority in Rheinfelden, the current solution is intended to be in effect for at least one school semester.
