Caregiver FAQs

How do I find out which social worker is assigned to the foster child in my care? A foster home can be “on hold” as to placements as foster care placements are at the discretion of the county placing agency. You should immediately communicate to your foster child’s social worker your desire to have the sibling placed with you. I have a foster child placed in my home and would like the child’s sibling who is also in foster care placed together in my home – how can I make this happen?

Where do I get a copy of the county file that contains information about my foster home and my family? Caregivers have a Right To(link) provide information to the court by filing a JV 290 Caregiver Information Form. If there is a court hearing I cannot attend, how will my input be provided to the court? 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. The California Department of Education maintains a Child Care Resource and Referral Network for information about affordable, accessible, and quality child care in your area.

Helpful Tips for Parents with a CPS Case:

Making the correct placement decision helps to minimize the trauma a child experiences during placement moves; ensures that the foster child is placed in the home best able to help and support the child; and reduces the risk of a subsequent placement change. Before a child is placed with my family, will I be told if there are issues relative to the child’s behavior that could jeopardize the health, safety and welfare of my family? If you have a concern about the disclosure of any of your personal information, you should discuss your concerns with the social worker at the time of placement. Will my family have to do something different because a foster child has been placed with our family? We are your child’s foster parents and we will remain in your child’s life only as long as your child needs us. CPS tries to accommodate the child and family’s wishes about religious training, within the limits of the caregiver’s situation, resources, and abilities.

You are encouraged to complete and submit this form to the court clerk at least five days prior to the hearing court date. You have the Right To submit information you deem relevant to the court in writing (JV 290 form). You have a Right To be notified in advance of court hearings and you have the right to attend dependency court reviews and permanency hearings. The California First Five Commission (link removed) has information on day care and preschool resources.

• 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.
• We will now ask for a login code anytime you log in on a device we don’t recognize.
• A primary consideration is to keep siblings together and to keep children in homes where they have formed an attachment.
• Together, you will decide what changes you need to make for your child to return home and set up a plan for making these changes.

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If you are unable to reach the social worker, most counties have a “Worker/Officer of the Day” who can assist you in locating the appropriate person. If you happen to call the previously assigned social worker and learn that the case has been transferred, the former social worker or their supervisor should be able to assist you. You should call the county placing agency and ask to speak with the “Worker/Officer of the Day”. The caregiver may file a grievance or request a State hearing regarding a license suspension or revocation. If the allegation is substantiated, the county will refer information regarding the caregiver along with case information to the Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) of the California Department of Justice for inclusion in the statewide database. After the investigation is completed, you will be notified by the county CPS, the county placing agency, and/or the licensing agency regarding the outcome of the investigation or the decision made.

Community-Based Care

If it is not possible for the siblings to be in the same placement at this time, law and regulations require that the county placing agency ensure that ongoing and frequent interaction occurs between the siblings to develop and maintain sibling relationships. In order non gamstop casinos UK to accomplish a change in placement, you will need to give the social worker a seven (7) day notice that you want the child removed , unless there are special circumstances that would require immediate removal. Once a foster child is placed in my home can I request that the child be placed with another foster family?

However, when the child does not qualify for Federal AFDC-FC (or sometimes referred to as Yoakum), the relative caregiver will be told to apply for CalWORKs as a Non-Needy Relative Caretaker. When a child is placed with a relative, the only available foster care Payment is Federal AFDC-FC. Call the social worker and ask for the name and contact number for the assigned foster care eligibility worker or the foster care eligibility supervisor. There is often confusion with the term “hold” which is a reference to the county placing agency’s decision to no longer place children in an identified foster home. If the caregiver feels that inadequate information is provided by the county social worker regarding the “Hold” decision, contact the county social worker’s supervisor. The social worker will discuss this with you and your foster child, if age appropriate.