I've told you a lot about our foster experience but I wanted to explain about the whole process. I know when we first got started, we felt a little lost for a while.
The first thing that happens is DCS becomes involved in a child's life. This could happen through several different ways. A doctor or school may notify DCS of a concern, like suspicious bruises or behaviors. A person could make a call to the abuse and neglect hotline. A police officer could notify DCS of a situation where children could be in danger. Whatever the method of referral, once one has been made, a caseworker is assigned and begins an investigation. Sometimes it is determined that the children are not in any danger and the case is closed. Or it could be a case where the caseworkers know something is going on, but it isn't substantial enough to remove the kids. Or, the caseworker can determine the kids need removed immediately. Before removing, DCS needs a court order from a judge to proceed.
We don't come into play until that court order is obtained. Once it happens, the licensing caseworker gets involved and helps make a decision about which foster family should be contacted about the situation.
So how does the licensing worker know which family to contact? That's where all those invasive questions we were asked during the home study come into play. To complete our home study, we answered a bunch of questions about our lives, our goals for our family, and what types of children we would be willing to foster. We were able to be as restrictive or inclusive as we felt we should be as far as the kids we could foster. For our family, we decided we should take kids under 5 because Addison was 5 at the time we were licensed. We said we were open to kids of any race. The hardest part was specifying which "special needs" we would be willing to foster. I know that nearly all kids in foster care are going to have some degree of "special needs". These kids have been through so much trauma, neglect, and/or abuse that they are not going to be functioning at the same level as a typical child. But, that being said, these kids have the potential to make great strides in a very short time when put into a stable and nurturing environment, I know this for a fact because I have seen it with all the kids we have had. So, for our home study, we said we would consider any placement as long as the kids were under 5 and did not have any behaviors that would put our daughters in danger. It's hard to believe that a 4 year old could be dangerous, but it happens.
Ok, so the caseworker decides to call us because we could be a good match for a child she needs a foster placement for. We then are given the opportunity to think things over for a minute (sometimes literally only a minute because it is an emergency situation). If we feel like the situation isn't right for us, for whatever reason, we can say no. We were assured it was ok to say no if we felt we should, but we still felt terrible the first time we had to. But, the last thing DCS wants to do is move a child to a different placement. Many years ago, foster kids were moved from home to home every few months because it was felt it would be easier for the kids and foster parents if no bonds were made between them. Fortunately, that philosophy has changed.
So, once we all decide to take a placement, the caseworker on the case contacts us and lets us know a little more about what's going on. Then they let us know when and how the child will get to us. With our first placement, G and Z, we went to the county DCS office that afternoon and picked them up there. With W, we went to the emergency room at 2 am. Little Z was brought to our house by the caseworker after she removed him from his dad's house. When we were going to get the baby girl, we were supposed to pick her up from the hospital when she was released the next day. So, it really just depends on the situation.
Once the decision to remove has been made, the court order has been obtained, and the kids have been placed, a court hearing is scheduled. I believe it has to be held within 72 hours of removal. This isn't typically a hearing we go to. It is basically where the caseworker presents the findings so far and makes recommendations as far as placement and visitation. The parents will be at this hearing and have a chance to make requests as well. The judge makes a ruling, usually following DCS's recommendations, but not always. Then the next court hearing will be in 3-6 months depending on the county, then every 3-6 months after that until the case is closed. We go to those court hearings, which is not something I particularly enjoy doing. The judges usually ask us pretty general questions about how the kids are doing. It makes me so nervous to have to talk in court. In one of the counties we have been in, the judge is very formal. Everyone addresses him as "judge" or "your honor". He doesn't ask a lot of questions, but he listens to all parties and makes sure everyone gets their part in. In the other county, it is still formal, but not quite as much. The judge askes a lot of questions, talks more directly to the parent, rather than to the attorneys. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, but they are different. It is interesting to get to see two diffent approaches to the same process.
As far as caring for the kids, we are able to make day to day decisions, but need permission to do certain things. For example, we are supposed to "maintain" their hairstyle, but not change it without the parents permission. We can take them to medical appointments and make needed decisions as far as their care, but need to have a letter saying the child is in our care before the doctor can treat them. Foster kids qualify for Medicaid, so there is no cost to us for their medical care. We can take the kids anywhere, but need permission from the court to go out of state. We were able to take G with us last year on our summer vacation to Myrtle Beach, but first we had to get permission from the caseworker, the parents, and the judge. Then we carried a paper with us saying it was ok for us to have him out of state for the dates we had requested. We can take the kids to daycare or a babysitter, like when I'm working, but we are responsible for covering that cost. Basically, if it is a regular, routine thing, we can take care of it, but if it is an out of the ordinary decision, we need permission from a bunch of people to do it.
So, that is basically how foster care itself works. If I have left something out, or if you want to know more, please ask!
The first thing that happens is DCS becomes involved in a child's life. This could happen through several different ways. A doctor or school may notify DCS of a concern, like suspicious bruises or behaviors. A person could make a call to the abuse and neglect hotline. A police officer could notify DCS of a situation where children could be in danger. Whatever the method of referral, once one has been made, a caseworker is assigned and begins an investigation. Sometimes it is determined that the children are not in any danger and the case is closed. Or it could be a case where the caseworkers know something is going on, but it isn't substantial enough to remove the kids. Or, the caseworker can determine the kids need removed immediately. Before removing, DCS needs a court order from a judge to proceed.
We don't come into play until that court order is obtained. Once it happens, the licensing caseworker gets involved and helps make a decision about which foster family should be contacted about the situation.
So how does the licensing worker know which family to contact? That's where all those invasive questions we were asked during the home study come into play. To complete our home study, we answered a bunch of questions about our lives, our goals for our family, and what types of children we would be willing to foster. We were able to be as restrictive or inclusive as we felt we should be as far as the kids we could foster. For our family, we decided we should take kids under 5 because Addison was 5 at the time we were licensed. We said we were open to kids of any race. The hardest part was specifying which "special needs" we would be willing to foster. I know that nearly all kids in foster care are going to have some degree of "special needs". These kids have been through so much trauma, neglect, and/or abuse that they are not going to be functioning at the same level as a typical child. But, that being said, these kids have the potential to make great strides in a very short time when put into a stable and nurturing environment, I know this for a fact because I have seen it with all the kids we have had. So, for our home study, we said we would consider any placement as long as the kids were under 5 and did not have any behaviors that would put our daughters in danger. It's hard to believe that a 4 year old could be dangerous, but it happens.
Ok, so the caseworker decides to call us because we could be a good match for a child she needs a foster placement for. We then are given the opportunity to think things over for a minute (sometimes literally only a minute because it is an emergency situation). If we feel like the situation isn't right for us, for whatever reason, we can say no. We were assured it was ok to say no if we felt we should, but we still felt terrible the first time we had to. But, the last thing DCS wants to do is move a child to a different placement. Many years ago, foster kids were moved from home to home every few months because it was felt it would be easier for the kids and foster parents if no bonds were made between them. Fortunately, that philosophy has changed.
So, once we all decide to take a placement, the caseworker on the case contacts us and lets us know a little more about what's going on. Then they let us know when and how the child will get to us. With our first placement, G and Z, we went to the county DCS office that afternoon and picked them up there. With W, we went to the emergency room at 2 am. Little Z was brought to our house by the caseworker after she removed him from his dad's house. When we were going to get the baby girl, we were supposed to pick her up from the hospital when she was released the next day. So, it really just depends on the situation.
Once the decision to remove has been made, the court order has been obtained, and the kids have been placed, a court hearing is scheduled. I believe it has to be held within 72 hours of removal. This isn't typically a hearing we go to. It is basically where the caseworker presents the findings so far and makes recommendations as far as placement and visitation. The parents will be at this hearing and have a chance to make requests as well. The judge makes a ruling, usually following DCS's recommendations, but not always. Then the next court hearing will be in 3-6 months depending on the county, then every 3-6 months after that until the case is closed. We go to those court hearings, which is not something I particularly enjoy doing. The judges usually ask us pretty general questions about how the kids are doing. It makes me so nervous to have to talk in court. In one of the counties we have been in, the judge is very formal. Everyone addresses him as "judge" or "your honor". He doesn't ask a lot of questions, but he listens to all parties and makes sure everyone gets their part in. In the other county, it is still formal, but not quite as much. The judge askes a lot of questions, talks more directly to the parent, rather than to the attorneys. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, but they are different. It is interesting to get to see two diffent approaches to the same process.
As far as caring for the kids, we are able to make day to day decisions, but need permission to do certain things. For example, we are supposed to "maintain" their hairstyle, but not change it without the parents permission. We can take them to medical appointments and make needed decisions as far as their care, but need to have a letter saying the child is in our care before the doctor can treat them. Foster kids qualify for Medicaid, so there is no cost to us for their medical care. We can take the kids anywhere, but need permission from the court to go out of state. We were able to take G with us last year on our summer vacation to Myrtle Beach, but first we had to get permission from the caseworker, the parents, and the judge. Then we carried a paper with us saying it was ok for us to have him out of state for the dates we had requested. We can take the kids to daycare or a babysitter, like when I'm working, but we are responsible for covering that cost. Basically, if it is a regular, routine thing, we can take care of it, but if it is an out of the ordinary decision, we need permission from a bunch of people to do it.
So, that is basically how foster care itself works. If I have left something out, or if you want to know more, please ask!
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