5 Important Things To Know About Foster Parent Rights
Taking on the responsibility of fostering children can be complex and challenging. To ease the process and to ensure that anyone who becomes a foster parent has a consistent set of tools and resources in Oklahoma, the state has created a list of foster parent rights that helps foster parents focus on caring for the children they foster. Here are 5 important things to know about foster parent rights in Oklahoma.
The Key Role of the Child Welfare Team
- You will be treated with respect and dignity. You are, after all, a professional member of the child welfare team and an integral part of the experience that children within the foster system receive.
- You are a Professional – You are a professional member of the team because you are paid to provide a specific set of skills just like any other member of the team.
The Management of Child Care within the Foster Care System
In order to do a great job as a foster parent, you are entitled to:
- A clear Job Description.
Like any employee, you have the right to receive instruction about expectations, roles, and your job duties. While you are not an employee of the foster system, your role comes with many benefits that are similar to that of an employee.
4. Explanation of the Care Plan for Each Child.
The foster system produces a plan of care for each child they intake. That plan includes disabilities, behavioral issues, family concerns, and other pertinent information that will allow foster parents to understand the needs of each child they foster. The plan also should detail how the foster care team plans to address these issues so that the foster parent can adjust their fostering to be part of the solution to these challenges as necessary.
5. Part of the Review and Permanent Foster Meeting Schedule.
As a foster parent, you have the right to be notified of meetings that involve the review of the foster placement, family evaluations, and permanent placement hearings for each foster child you foster. These inclusions are part of the foster parent’s rights because you can deny the action of the Foster Care Team when they plan to remove the child from your custody. The child will remain with you until the court determines that the child should either be fostered elsewhere or returned to their family. Even when the court orders the removal of a child from your care it must state the reason for that removal.
Reach Out To Owens Law Office For More Information About Foster Parent Rights
Foster Parents are similar to other types of parental roles – biological and adoptive. As such, you have rights under the Oklahoma Family Law statutes that the foster System must uphold. Owens Law Office PC offers family law assistance to the greater Oklahoma City community. Learn more about your foster parent’s rights by discussing your case with our family law team. Call today at (405) 608-0708!
