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

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