Permanency Issues
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Searching for Permanence | Following a complaint of abuse or neglect, the CPS (Child Protection Services) worker is required to investigate immediately. If the abuse/neglect is substantiated, four future directions or choices present themselves. Read more |
| A Permanent Home | Working to provide a stable home from which a child can grow is the best thing foster parents can do. Read more |
| Don't Make Kids Wait |
Waiting is painful, even torturous for adults. Ignorant of the outcome, one is likely to imagine every possibility, and especially the worst. Read more |
| Pseudo-Permanency Plans | Reunification and adoption are the only true permanent solutions. Read more |
| What to Do When Foster Care Goes on and on and no TPR is Filed | What happens if the state does not follow the law about a foster child? What can be done? How does a foster parent who is willing to adopt get the state to move? Read more |
| Emancipation Means Homelessness and Pat O'Brien is Doing Something | Half the homeless population is made up of foster care dischargees. In a nutshell, emancipation does not work. Read more |
| Contingency Planning | Every important plan should have a backup. Read more |
| Kin-Come-Lately | Bonding, when it has time to occur, IS a relationship. Bonded persons are related. That is why bonding is a stronger relationship than a mere genetic connection. Read more |
| Foster Children Underserved, Especially Minorities | Minority children are overrepresented and underserved in the child welfare system. Read more |
Visitor-submitted questions
| Question | ACT's Response |
|---|---|
| Can a child legally be placed with a relative, if that person is an illegal alien with no identifying documents? |
I am unaware of any law that prohibits such a placement. Laws concerning immigration differ state by state. Obviously, the purpose of child protection laws is to have children placed with family first. However, there are several extra-legal questions that occur to me. Would the relative put himself/herself in jeopardy by coming forward? If deported, would the relative take the child with him or her? Check with a group in your state that is supportive of undocumented persons. Then ask yourself: What is best for the child? Good luck in making a hard decision. Read more |
