As you may well notice this is a document that someone sent to me stating what legally is supposed to go on in a case involving as mine has.  And when you get down to it..well my whole family was denied anything.  My sister had the comments imposed to her that in order for her to get my kids out of the system that she would have to become a foster parent..and actually gave her the paperwork and everything to sign up for the class to become that.  But we later found this and that is what we know but yet my sister nor the rest of my family has been able to get my kids and still they sit in the system.

Just e-mail me www.injusticeinva@yahoo.com

My kids are also spread all out.  My oldest daughter is with her father who lives in Maine.  My youngest daughter is in Oklahoma with her father.  And my two boys are also seperated and in two different foster homes in the state..so they are all seperated.

Requesting Placement with a Relative

The state gets more money for placing children in foster care than they do for placing them with relatives.  Thus, they are reluctant to place with relatives and when they do they often require the relative to become a licensed foster care provider so the agency can get federal money.

Relative placement shouldn't be confused with relative foster care.  A relative foster home is just like any other foster home, except the caregiver happens to be related.  They are bound by all the same restrictions as other foster homes and the agency can remove the children at any time without cause just as they could from a foster home that wasn't a relative.  Foster caregivers do not have a right to have a child placed in their home and they are not interested parties to the court case.

With Relative placement, however, the agency doesn't license the relatives as foster caregivers.  The relatives aren't bound by the restrictions of a foster home.  A child placed under these circumstances couldn't be removed from the home without a cause.

Federal Law requires that relatives be given preference for placement.  The law doesn't allow the agency to impose restrictions on relative placements, such as foster care training or a home study, although some states require a background screen to be certain the relative doesn't have a prior record of child abuse.  Placements with relatives should be immediate without any delays.

Grandparents have the option of gaining interested party status by filing a Motion to Intervene with the court.  With a Motion to Intervene, the grandparents can force placement when the agency refuses.

A Motion to Intervene gives the grandparent legal standing as a party to the case.  This allows them to make motions to the court and to have the court hear their side before any decision is made.  They can write court reports at each hearing to give the court their version of what has transpired as well as make recommendations about what should be done in the future.

****Note to parents- Federal Law does NOT require or even allow placement with a relative that is working against reunification.  Further, a relative who continually makes false reports shouldn't be rewarded with placement of a child.  If your child has been  placed with a relative that is working against reunification, file a Motion to Change Placement with the court and cite the reason as the current placement is a hindrance to reunification.****