Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System AFCARS The Administration for Children and Families

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.

• 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.
• The California Department of Education maintains a Child Care Resource and Referral Network for information about affordable, accessible, and quality child care in your area.
• The case worker is your main point of contact when your child is in CPS care.
• When children can’t live safely at home, CPS tries to find relatives and family friends who can provide stability while the children can’t live with their parents (see kinship care).
• If you have questions about the way in which your local foster care agency handled your case, you may want to begin by discussing your concerns with your caseworker or their supervisor.

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However, when the child does not qualify for Federal AFDC-FC (or sometimes referred to as Yoakum), the relative caregiver will be told to apply for CalWORKs as a Non-Needy Relative Caretaker. When a child is placed with a relative, the only available foster care Payment is Federal AFDC-FC. Call the social worker and ask for the name and contact number for the assigned foster care eligibility worker or the foster care eligibility supervisor. There is often confusion with the term “hold” which is a reference to the county placing agency’s decision to no longer place children in an identified foster home. If the caregiver feels that inadequate information is provided by the county social worker regarding the “Hold” decision, contact the county social worker’s supervisor. The social worker will discuss this with you and your foster child, if age appropriate.

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.

I’m having problems with foster care services in my state. What should I do?

It is important that family members, once aware that the child is in foster care, immediately contact the county where the child resides to request placement and adoption of the child. How does a family member obtain placement of and adopt a related child who is in foster care? 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.

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Your attorney can set a court hearing and try to resolve any disputes. However, if these problems lead to abuse or neglect or the risk of abuse or neglect, we might have to remove your child from your care again. You should think about this carefully and discuss it with your attorney because signing a relinquishment is a serious matter. Wherever your child lives, CPS will supervise the placement. CPS will contact the people on your list to find out if any of them would be appropriate and are willing to care for your child. However, your desires about the care of your child will be taken into account when possible.

The county placing agency has a responsibility to make a diligent effort to place children with special needs into those foster family homes that have a higher level of skill, training, and certification, often called Intensive Treatment Foster Care (ITFC) or group home care. The licensing, approval or certification agency will provide you with any needed Training to ensure the success of the foster child’s placement in your home. In the cases where the child is already known to the county placing agency, the social worker will be able to provide you with the child’s Health Passport a fairly complete picture of the child’s health history, behavioral issues and emotional needs. Service Plan – This is an agreement between CPS and the parents of children in substitute care (foster care, kinship care, etc).

CPS non gamstop casino strives to ensure quality services for children in foster care. Information about your foster home contained in the child’s service case file, however, is under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court and, other than the information you have a Right To , information may only be released with a court order. This contains information such as a copy of your foster parent license, the capacity of your home, and other general information about your foster care license. Will I be informed of all case planning and decision making meetings concerning the foster child in my care? When making a “Prudent Parent” decision, the caregiver must consider the child’s age, maturity level, mental and physical health, and other relevant factors.

The court decides if you can afford to hire your own attorney. You can hire an attorney at your own expense or the court must appoint an attorney for you if you cannot afford one. You can come to court without an attorney and still be heard.. Even though you may not be required to go to court, one way to show that you are concerned about your child’s future is to attend the court hearings.