Usually a foster care caseworker is assigned to a new case within two to four weeks of a child or children entering the foster care system. Siblings entering foster care would normally have the same foster care caseworker. By the time a caseworker is assigned to the case, the children have already been in a foster care home for two to four weeks. Hopefully, it is the same home that child protective services (CPS) placed them in the day they were removed, but it isn’t always. Since the children are settling into their new home, the worker doesn’t usually... more

Most agencies now require the completion of numerous training hours to become licensed foster parents to care for children. In Michigan, parents who want to foster children for the Department of Human Services are expected to complete nine PRIDE classes. Each class is about three hours long, which is quite an initial time commitment for two active parents. One of the sessions addresses the agencies expectations of foster parents in the reunification plan. While many foster parents pursue licensing with the hope of adopting a foster child, the agency makes... more

As strange as it may sound, even foster children are given goals in the reunification plan. The foster children, like their parents, are expected to make progress towards their assigned goals. Their progress is reviewed every 90 days by the court at the review hearings. The goals for the children vary depending on their ages, developmental levels, and needs. It is up to the foster parents and caseworkers involved in the case to assist foster children in achieving most of their assigned goals. This is because most foster children do not have a car or a driver’s... more

Children have been removed from their parents’ home by child protective services. The children have been placed either in a licensed foster home or with an approved relative for temporary care. Unless the children were removed for extreme reasons, the original permanency goal of foster care is usually reunification with the birth family. Within a couple of weeks after the children are removed, the parents will meet with the foster care worker who has been newly assigned to their case. The foster care worker will review the reasons that the children were removed... more

If you have provided foster care for children then you already know that every 90 days the case progress has to be reviewed by the court. If the children remain in care for 12 months then the case progresses to permanency planning status, for the children’s long-term goals. This is because regular foster care is meant to be a short-term answer to family crisis. Many studies have proven that children, who just age out of foster care without either being adopted or returned home, do not fare well in adult society. The courts, in their wisdom, have concluded that within 12 months a family... more

Change of placement for foster children affects everyone in the foster home including the child herself, other foster children, foster parents and yes, the biological or adopted children. Without a doubt that moving foster children can and does in most cases causes long term damage. I think most people including foster parents realize that foster children are moved around way too much.

Then on the other hand some people go to the extreme on judging foster parents on the reasoning of foster children needing to be moved as below that was part of a comment on... more

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Inventory of Clothing: You will fill this out on each child when they come into your home. My agency only wants the clothing listed that the child can actual wear. I always list the clothing they cannot wear (due to size or condition) on the back just to protect myself. I do not get rid of anything of the child’s even if it is in poor condition. I place it in my garage with their name on the box. In some areas or with some agencies you will also do a list when the child leaves.

Fire Escape Map: A drawing of your house showing the exits out of the rooms. We also have to state where the meeting place is once everyone gets out of the house (this should... more

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I also have a small accordion folder that I keep extra copies of each child’s paperwork, pictures, WIC cards, etc..

The important thing is for you to come up with a system and use it. This will make life so much easier on you.

The types of forms you will be dealing with will depend on the type of care you provide, your state requirements, agency requirements, types of services your child have, etc.. I will hit a few of then to give you an idea what you will be dealing with.

Progress notes: This will be done on each child covering their visits, appointments, activities, behaviors, medical issues, punishment, etc... This... more

Continued.............................. I also try to use different colored pens for each child (at least when my children do not take them). I also keep a pencil zipper bag secured to the front of my date book to keep my colored pens in and other supplies. The date book is the most important thing that has made a world of difference for me. This is also very helpful because I take my date book every where with me. When I get phone calls from the case worker or CASA worker asking when was Johnny’s last doctors appointment, how many times did bio parents miss visits this month, etc.. You may have already provide them with the information, but it seems to be easier to call you than look... more

You need to have some organization and a system for all the paperwork, to keep for from losing your sanity. Some things may work for you and you may come up with something that works better for you. You will have a lot of paperwork to keep up with, there is a form for almost everything.

Each foster child has their own one inch notebook with the clear cover and inside pockets. There are dividers marked: Progress Notes, Child’s Rights, Medical, School, Legal, Service Plan, Misc.. I keep a few blank copies of each one of these in the notebook, and the current ones used for that month in front of the blank ones. I keep their shot records in the front cover.

I have a date book... more