Caregiver FAQs

You are entitled to a number of protections as a parent of children in CPS care, but you need to work with your caseworker to fully benefit from these protections. CPS usually has legal custody of your child for a short time after your child returns to your care. If you do, the court may issue an order that you are no longer your child’s legal parent. Foster homes and facilities must be approved and monitored by a foster care agency (child-placing agency).This can be either a privately-run agency or CPS itself. Licensed caregivers provide daily care and are reimbursed to help cover the cost of caring for your child. You will be asked to give your caseworker information about relatives or close family friends who may be able to care for your child until it is possible for him or her to return safely to your care.

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• You can come to court without an attorney and still be heard..
• The purpose is to improve the overall well-being of children in foster care and to keep them closer to home and connected with their communities and siblings.
• You generally will not receive advance notice of the allegations made against you, or the home visit, until the social worker arrives at your home .
• It is important to keep the social worker and the child’s attorney informed of any additional training you may need to meet the specific needs of the child in your care.
• Contact the agency that licensed, approved, or certified your home for information about your foster home.

Permanency Conference-a meeting of all parties involved in the planning for the child to develop and/or review the permanent plan for the child. CASA – A court appointed special advocate (CASA) is a person who takes court-approved training and is certified by the court to appear at court hearings as a volunteer advocate on behalf of a child. We will provide for your child to the best of our ability, not losing sight of the fact that this is your child. If not, the court may decide to take away your parental rights and the following protections would then no longer exist. CPS may no longer consider it safe to return the child to your care and will probably consider other options.

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You can and should decline placement of a child if you do not feel you can meet that child’s needs. Relatives should create a list of all the family members who would like to have placement and/or adopt the child, with addresses and phone numbers. However, in those rare situations where disclosure of any information would cause the foster child or foster home to be exposed to a known threat, the County will ask the Court to order complete confidentiality. Children in foster care cannot be compelled to participate in a religion that is not of their own choice. You will receive limited information about the child’s birth family, full disclosure of which is prohibited by law.

The primary purpose of discipline must be to encourage appropriate behavior, not to punish the child. If your child is removed again, CPS will review your child’s permanency plan. You should tell you attorney right away if you already have one. The caseworker will usually tell you why your child is being removed before the re-removal happens, if we know where to find you and doing so won’t endanger the child. Some courts have specific local rules when a “re-removal” occurs. If that happens, you will no longer be responsible for your child or have any say in your child’s future.

DFPS offers many resources for people who want to become foster parents, or who already have, or who want to foster as a first step towards adoption. Licensed caregivers are free to review (but not copy) the public side of your licensing case file. Contact the agency that licensed, approved, or certified your home for information about your foster home.

Known as an attorney ad litem, this lawyer represents your child’s desires and/or best interest in court. The judge may think you do not care about your child if you do not appear at court hearings. You should always go to court when you get a legal notice or a phone call saying that there will be a hearing about your child. non gamstop casino CPS may remove children from their homes in an emergency before going to court to ensure their immediate safety. CPS may go to court to remove children from their homes if it believes children have been abused or neglected or are at risk of future abuses or neglect and they need to be removed for their protection.

Once a foster child is placed with your family, you will be part of the child’s support team. Every foster child has the right to engage in the religion that was practiced in their family of origin or in the religion of the child’s choice. In the cases where the foster child is being moved from another foster home to your home, you should ask the social worker about a Transition plan for the child. In the case of an emergency placement, typically removing children from their parents on an immediate basis, meeting the child in advance is generally not possible. Kinship Caregiver Specialist/Kinship Worker – This is a CPS caseworker who works with relatives who provide care for a child in CPS legal custody. If no relative or close friend is available or appropriate, your child may be placed in foster care.

They provide kinship caregivers with education, support, advocacy and training. A foster family will do as much as they can to help your child. The judge may listen to both you and the agency and may make a decision based on your legal rights and what is best for your child. If the disagreement you are having with the agency is about your child’s return home or the agency’s refusal to let you visit, you may request the court to resolve it. Children in foster care must not receive physical punishment. A child is not required to participate in the caregiver’s particular religious practices or activities.

It’s important that you let your child’s social worker know, at time of placement, that you need child care. It is best to speak to your foster child’s social worker and your foster child’s primary care doctor first to request that your foster child have a health assessment. It is best to speak to your foster child’s social worker and your foster child’s primary care doctor first to request that your foster child have a health assessment – see Health Passport .