Kinship Placements & Family Involvement in Foster Care

Make contact with the child’s caseworker by telephone letting him or her know that you are willing to provide kinship placement. Follow your phone call up with a certified letter to the caseworker stating your desires to be involved, along with making references to the phone call you had with her, including her name, date, time, etc. Making a paper trail in your contact with the caseworker and your desires to be involved is... more

Kinship placements are mostly left in the hands of the biological parents. Whether kinship placement is used or who is suggested out of the family is in the hands of the biological parents for the most part. For the family member wanting to provide a family foster placement there may be more obstacles for you to overcome if the biological parents do not support you as a kinship placement.

I have been asked how kinship foster placements work, and other information concerning them. The problem... more

Things have started to progress right along with the adoption of our baby girl. This has been going on for a year now. We were starting to think there was no end in sight. Started to think CPS just enjoyed watching us jump through the loops while they did nothing. We had hoped last year to adopt on National Adoption Day but CPS had not even started the paperwork for the adoption.

Here lately, we have been waist deep in court hearings, paperwork, updating our home study, medical documents, and trying to find out why things had stalled. The judge finally stated, “Get this child... more

Foster Care Terms A - C

DHS - Department of Health Services or Department of Human Services foster care can fall under one of these agencies in different states.

Emancipation – When a foster teen is legally declared an adult by the court prior to turning 18 years old. The foster teen is then no longer a ward of the state.

Foster Home – A home that provides care of foster children while in the state’s care.

Group Home... more

This is where the foster children’s future will be talked about and how they are coping. The meeting should take place every six months to discuss the progress, or lack of it. This meeting should take place at child welfare offices with the biological and foster parents both being invited along with child welfare staff (can also include CASA worker, other persons representing the foster children, lawyers for biological parents, or biological family members).

Sometimes the foster parents are given less than 24 hours notice which can make things difficult.... more

Abuse – The types of abuse include physical, sexual and neglect. The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act defines child abuse and neglect, at a minimum, as “any recent act or failure on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm” to a child.

Adjudicatory Hearing - To address allegations of child abuse or neglect in a petition presented to the court.

Aging Out – When a foster teen... more

Family Reunification Over What is Best For The Children?

A two year old toddler of a 17 year old mother was placed into foster care as an infant. The mother left the child to be cared for by a paternal grandmother. The grandmother would go out drinking leaving the baby in the care of other relatives. The baby went into another family placement briefly which also did not work out. After all of that, the infant was placed into foster care.

He was placed into... more

Family reunification has become a main focus for most if not all child welfare agencies. A lot of agencies have gotten tunnel-vision with this and it seems to be the only goal that a lot of people involved child welfare are even looking at for the children. Yes, children most definitely need family reunification when it is the best thing for them.

Let’s be honest and open about all of this. The overall picture of the family situation and the abuse that the children have suffered needs to be part of this decision.If the child welfare agency has dealt with... more

Marriah, a foster child has graduated high school and now is working towards a future. She has experienced more than other children her age. She and four of her sisters were placed in foster care in 2001. Two sisters were adopted and one is now living with the biological mother. Marriah aged out of the foster care system and is now living with her biological mother.

She has dealt with a lot of anger towards her mom because of the family situation. Having two of her children adopted was a wake up call to her mother.

The foster care agency that Marriah was involved with started a new program for foster children... more

I have discussed some problems with foster children concerning kinship placement, or family reunification. Now I want to discuss how to protect foster children and how to improve the success of kinship placement or family reunification.

We have to be honest about some parent’s lack of parenting ability. Putting your bleeding toddler back to bed after taking a serious fall because you are sleepy is unthinkable. Did the toddler’s interest lay along with the interest of the mom? She did place... more