Foster Care

If a foster child I previously cared for re-enters foster care, do I have the right to be the first choice for placement? The child’s permanent plan is determined by the county placing agency and the court. As the current caregiver, do I have a right to be the first choice for adoption or other permanent plan for the foster child in my home? As a foster parent, you are an integral member of the team providing care to a foster child and this includes participating in the initial placement decision. Failure to contact the agency quickly (within 30 days of the child’s removal from the parents) may result in the child being placed with and adopted by non-related foster parents.

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.

Elizabeth Berman

This website is intended to provide information about services and resources for children and families in Illinois. This mandate requires that all children 5 years and older who exit a foster home complete an exit interview about their experiences. Learn more about what the KIND Act means for families, relative caregiver certification and resources for relative caregivers. DCFS maintains an online listing with pictures and descriptions of children in need of a loving family. Some states have a specific ombudsman who oversees grievances related to foster care services.

Resources

Kinship/Relative Placement – The home of a relative or family friend where a child is placed to live when parents are unable to provide for the child’s safety. If no one can be found, the court can give temporary legal custody to CPS, who then places the children in foster care (learn more). Giving a Child a Permanent Home – Choices for Relatives (PUB 344) – this pamphlet will explain some of the major differences among adoption, guardianship, and foster care and the choices a relative has when the relative child cannot return to live safely with his or her parent. Ask the assigned social worker, social worker’s supervisor, or child’s attorney to communicate this information to you as soon as possible after the court date. As part of the team supporting the foster child in your care, the county placing agency should make every effort to give you advance notice of meetings and conferences scheduled regarding the foster child in your care.

As a foster parent, will my name, address and telephone number be kept confidential? Once my home is licensed, approved, or certified when will a child be placed with my family? For information on becoming a foster or adoptive parent, search the Foster Care Recruitment and Training Information web page to learn more about the process of becoming a foster parent.

This will be discussed at the CPS Permanency Conference that you will be invited to attend during the fifth month that your child is in foster care. You, your caseworker, and the foster parents may be able to set up a schedule so you can visit regularly to talk about your child. A Family Group Conference is a meeting where families join with relatives, friends, the community, and CPS to develop a plan to ensure children are cared for and protected from future harm. If a judge decides that a child needs to be removed, the child may go into foster care. The law, developed through a non gamstop casinos UK partnership between Illinois DCFS and the ACLU of Illinois, took effect July 1, giving Illinois the ability to create separate standards for relatives to be certified to care for related children and youth in DCFS care. DCFS strives to reunite children with their birth families, and nearly half of all foster children are reunified with their families within 12 months.

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• We will now ask for a login code anytime you log in.
• Will I be informed of all case planning and decision making meetings concerning the foster child in my care?
• Respite care allows for the foster children to be placed with another caregiver for a short period of time – not to exceed 72 hours per session.
• You are strongly encouraged to participate, but if you are unable to, you should document your concerns and submit this to the social worker well in advance of the meeting.

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 . If there is an allegation of child abuse and/or neglect made about me or my foster home, what will happen? What rights do I have if the Court and / or County decide to terminate the placement, remove the child from my home, and I am not in agreement? Current policy and federal and state law require the county social worker to make a diligent effort to place siblings together. It is important to keep in mind, however, that other factors are also considered, such as the current needs of the child, maintaining their school of origin and the need for placement with siblings.

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 .