Revisiting the Presumption of Jointly Placing Siblings in Foster Care
Until fairly recently, it was assumed that when parents divorced and custody was being assigned, it was in the child’s best interest to be placed with the mother. It took time and some tragic and avoidable situations to inform policy makers that this blanket assumption should be rebuttable—if a presumption at all. We have now come to a similar crossroad involving the placement of children in foster care.
There is a presumption in law and policy that it is in the best interest of children going into foster care that they be placed together with their siblings. We ...
A National Responsible Father Registry: Providing Constitutional Protections for Children, Mothers and Fathers
The United States Supreme Court initially acknowledged the right to raise children in 1923 when it held that the liberty interest referred to in the Fourteenth Amendment was “not merely freedom from bodily restraint but also the right of the individual to … establish a home and bring up children ….” Despite this well recognized right, many parents chose to place their children for adoption for a myriad of reasons.
Over the years, adoption in the United States has become more recognized, legally structured and more common. In fact, today every November is ...
Writing for Teenagers in Foster Care about their Legal Rights
Teenagers in foster care need to know what rights they have. Writing for teenagers in foster care about those rights is, to say the least, challenging. The writer must be thoroughly familiar with the law, be succinct, and be deeply in touch with the gamut of emotional aspects of the lives of their audience. The successful writer cannot be judgmental or patronizing and must be keenly aware that teenagers are in constant motion – alternating between feeling vulnerable and invincible, inconsequential and essential. The perspective needs to be honest and real-life. It is ...
Supervised Visitation and the Role of Human Service Departments
Supervised child visitation can be indicated in cases involving custody; shared parenting; grandparent custody or visitation; divorce; legal separation; post-decree matters; emergency custody situations; abuse/neglect/dependency cases; concerns about parental abduction; and, reintroduction of a parent after a long absence.
Child visitation can be restricted or denied if a court finds that allowing regular visitation would endanger a child's physical or emotional health. In numerous situations, courts may order child visitation by stipulating how often visits are to occur, with whom, and whether the visits are to be supervised by a human services employee or some other responsible adult. If there are protection and safety concerns the visits are supervised.
Such supervised visits also provide an opportunity for workers to observe and document parent-child interactions.
...Emerging Adults as Foster Parents
In New Jersey, you can be a foster parent before you’re able to buy a cigarette. The minimum age to be buy cigarettes–19; the minimum age to be a foster parent–18.
In Alabama, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, and New Jersey, you can be a foster parent before being able to purchase alcohol.
The Child Welfare Information Gateway, in its document, The Home Study Requirements for Prospective Foster Parents (2010) reports that, “Adults of any profession and background may apply to be foster parents. In approximately 35 States and the District of Columbia, the foster parent applicants must be at least age 21. 1 In four States, the applicant must be at least age 18. 2 In Alabama and Nebraska, the parent must be at least age 19 (p.2).”
Foster parents are the primary care providers for the vast majority of children in state custody. While acknowledging that available foster placements have not kept pace with demand, is there any hesitation in tapping young adults to be foster parents?
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Paroline v. Amy Unknown’s Wide-ranging Impact for Victims, Policymakers and Professionals
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) is the leading national organization supporting professionals who serve children and families affected by child maltreatment and violence, including child sex abuse and child pornography. As a multidisciplinary group of professionals, APSAC achieves its mission in a number of ways, most notably through expert training and educational activities, policy leadership and collaboration, and consultation that emphasizes theoretically sound, evidence-based principles. With more than 26 years of existence and a ...
Coercion and Child Protective Services Investigations
Knock, knock. Child protective services.
The key role of the child protective services (CPS) investigator is to determine if a child is at risk of harm. When a child is in immediate danger, CPS and/or law enforcement work to ensure the child's safety. Often a safety plan is developed which will keep a child safe at home. When that is not possible the child may be taken into protective supervision.
If the unequivocal assessment indicates a high risk of danger everyone agrees that the child may be removed on an emergency basis. When that determination is not so certain, ...