If
a birth parent is unable to care for their child for one reason or another,
Department of Family Services (DFS) will take legal custody. The
caseworker will ask the parents if there are any family in town that are able
to care for them. Relatives must be willing to do so and able to pass
background checks. If this is not possible, the child will enter foster
care.
Caseworkers and foster
parents take calls at any time - whether it be holidays or middle of the
night. Most of the time the kids come into care with only the clothing on their
backs.
The
birth parent then meets with DFS to develop a case plan. That could
include, but is not limited to: parenting classes, counselling, employment, safe housing, reliable transportation, treatment, random
urinalysis drug testing, visitation, and compliance with any criminal court
proceedings.
A
team of people is assigned to the case and each person has their role.
They all work together to help the family reunify by developing a healthy
relationship and maintaining a safe home. The multidisciplinary (MDT) team
meets approximately every three months and typically consists of the people
below.
DFS
Caseworker
Birth
Parent(s)
Foster
Parent(s)
Guardian
Ad Litem (GAL)
Court
Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)
County
Attorney
Therapists,
Child and/or Birth Parents, if Applicable
School
Counselor, if Child is School Age
Attorney
for Birth Parent(s)
There are a few court hearings involved over the course of a foster care case, too. The Judge presiding over the case is provided with the MDT meeting minutes, is presented with recommendations, and listens to any updates presented in the courtroom. We won't attempt to cover all the in's and out's of this process. The purpose of this post is just to give you a glimpse of what is really going on behind the scenes - all in the name of the best interest of the child.
There are a few court hearings involved over the course of a foster care case, too. The Judge presiding over the case is provided with the MDT meeting minutes, is presented with recommendations, and listens to any updates presented in the courtroom. We won't attempt to cover all the in's and out's of this process. The purpose of this post is just to give you a glimpse of what is really going on behind the scenes - all in the name of the best interest of the child.
No comments:
Post a Comment