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Inside
the Child Welfare System
A
Family For Every Child would like to thank you for believing that every child
deserves a family. Your support has enabled A Family For Every Child to make a
difference in the lives of our children in foster care. Because of your support,
all of our programs have been busy serving children in foster care and families
going through the adoption process.
We hope you will find the following
information helpful in understanding why we all need to work
together.
How
the Child Welfare
System Works
The
child welfare system is a group of services
designed to promote the
well-being of children
by ensuring safety, achieving permanency,
and
strengthening families to care for their children
successfully. While
the primary responsibility
for child welfare services rests with the
States,
the Federal Government plays a major role in
supporting States in
the delivery of services
What Happens:•
When possible abuse or neglect is reported•
After a report is screened in”
•
In substantiated (founded) cases•
To people who abuse or neglect children•
To children who enter foster care
What Happens When
Possible Abuse
or
Neglect Is Reported
Any concerned person can report
suspicions
of child abuse or neglect. Most reports are
made by mandatory
reporters; people
who are required by State law to report
suspicions of
child abuse and neglect.
What Happens After a
Report Is
“Screened
In”
CPS
caseworkers, often called investigators,
respond within a particular time
period,
which may be anywhere from a few hours
to a few days, depending on
the type of
maltreatment alleged, the potential severity
of the situation,
and requirements under
State law. They may speak with the parents
and
other people in contact with the child,
such as doctors, teachers, or child
care
providers. They also may speak with the
child, alone or in the
presence of caregivers,
depending on the child’s age and level
of risk.
Children who are believed to be
in immediate danger may be moved to
a
shelter, a foster home, or a relative’s home
during the investigation
and while court
proceedings are pending. An investigator’s
primary purpose
is to determine whether
the child is safe, whether abuse or neglect
has
occurred, and whether there is a risk of
it occurring again.
What
Happens to
Children Who Enter
Foster Care
Most children in foster
care are placed with
relatives or foster families, but some may
be placed
in group homes. While a child
is in foster care, he or she attends
school
and should receive medical care and other
services as needed. The
child’s family also
receives services to support their efforts to
reduce
the risk of future maltreatment and
to help them, in most cases, be
reunited
with their child. Visits between parents
and their children and
between siblings
are encouraged and supported, following a
visitation
plan.
Every child in foster care should have
a permanency plan. Families
typically
participate in developing a permanency
plan for the child and a
service plan for the
family, and these plans guide the agency’s
work.
Reunification with parents, except
in unusual and extreme circumstances,
is
the permanency plan for most children. In
some cases, when prospects
for reunification.
In FFY 2010, 128,913 children leaving
foster care
(51 percent) were returned to
their parents or primary caregivers. 50% of
Them will return to care at least once. The
median length of stay in
foster care for
these children was 33 months.
Thousands "Age out"
each year, at 18,
alone and unprepared for life.
From
all of us at A Family For Every Child, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
It is only through the generosity and support of community foundations like you
that we are able to make a real difference in the lives of our children in
foster care. Together we can find a
family for every child.
If you have any additional questions feel free to
contact me any time!
A Family For Every Child
Associate Director
(541)343-2856
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