Foster Care
My Child is in Foster Care
Bringing Families Together
Reunifying Families Safely
The goal of the child welfare system is to protect children and provide services to help them safely stay at home. When a court decides a child can no longer stay at their home, the Children’s Division and court system will work together with the family to try to help the child safely return home. By working together, most children are able to eventually return home to their parent(s), grandparent or another relative.
The court ultimately decides if a child should enter foster care.
Depending on the needs of the child, placement may be provided by a relative or kin that has been approved for placement, a licensed foster parent or a licensed residential facility. The court will also ultimately decide if and when things have improved to the point that a child can safely return home.
What's Next?
Bringing Families Together partners with the State of Missouri to protect children and provide services to families so that their children can return and remain safely at home.
Once children are in foster care, we work with the families and the courts with a goal of reunification.
As a parent, you have rights! Continue reading this page for more information. Another great resource to support you as a parent is the Missouri Children's Division Parent Handbook. We have also included a list of additional resources on this page.
Where will my children be placed?
There are many placement options when your child is in alternative care, and you have a voice when it comes to where your child is placed. We also encourage you to give your Children’s Services Worker the names of any relatives or people you and your child are close to so we can see if they are a safe option and willing to care for your child. The court will make the final decision on where your child is placed. Placement options include:
Parental Care: A child is placed with a non-custodial parent. Even though the child is with a parent, they are still considered to be in Children’s Division custody until the child can reunify with the custodial parent or the noncustodial parent is granted custody of the child.
Relative Care: A child is placed with a blood or step relative (ex. grandparent, cousin, stepsibling, etc.). In order for a relative to be a placement option, the relative and all household members age 17 and older must agree to a child abuse and neglect and criminal background check before the child can be placed in their home. There are additional requirements, like a safety check of the household, we will need to do before placing your child there. Your Children’s Services Worker can provide more information on these requirements.
Kinship Care: A child is placed with someone they know and have a strong relationship with, but this person is not a blood relative. The friend and all household members age 17 and older must agree to a child criminal background check before the child can be placed in their home. There are additional requirements, like a safety check of the household, we will need to do before placing your child there. Your Children’s Services Worker can provide more information on these requirements.
Traditional Foster Care: This is a home where the foster parent(s) have been licensed by the state to provide alternative care to one or more children. Foster parents are referred to as resource providers, and they have received training and completed background checks. This type of foster care is provided to the majority of children in alternative care.
Who will help me next?
When your child is placed in alternative care, a Family Support Team is formed to help you and your child safely reunite as quickly as possible. The Family Support Team includes:
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You
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Your Children’s Division case manager
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The court and any attorneys
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The person temporarily caring for your child (relative, foster parent, or kinship care provider) · Your child’s Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) or Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)
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Any other service providers (therapists, parent aides, etc.)
We also encourage you to bring a natural helper with you to be a part of the Family Support Team. A natural helper is anyone you can rely on to support you. It can be a family member, a friend, a minister, or anyone else that you choose.
The Family Support Team will usually meet for the first time within three (3) days of your child coming into alternative care to help develop a treatment plan and a visitation plan. This plan will include details about what you and you Children’s Service Worker need to do to work towards safely returning your child home.
Often this plan will ask that you participate in counseling or get other helpful services to strengthen and support your family.
The Family Support Team will continue to meet regularly throughout the time your child is in alternative care, typically with meetings planned around court timeframes. The Family Support Team will also meet 30, 60 and 90 days after your child is placed in alternative care, and then every six (6) months from that point forward, and any time your child’s placement is changed or needs to be changed. The point of these meetings is to review your plans and discuss progress, additional concerns, or changes that need to be made if your child is unable to safely return home within 30 days. There are two additional plans that the Family Support Team must create and revise as needed while your child is in alternative care, which are permanency plans and concurrent planning.
Permanency Plans
As we work with your family, our main goal is to get your child to a permanent, safe home. This usually means returning the child to your home, but it could also mean exploring other options. We will constantly review your plan and situation, and every six (6) months there will be a formal review with your Family Support Team and your child (if appropriate). You will get at least two weeks’ notice of this meeting, and after the meeting your Children’s Services Worker will submit a report to the court to review. This report will include recommendations made by the team for you and your child. Permanency options include:
Reunification: This is achieved when the juvenile court determines your child can safely return to your home and no longer needs to be in Children’s Division custody. This is the most common permanency goal. The Family Support Team will recommend reunification to the court when progress has been made and going home is considered the best plan for your child. (NOTE: You may also request a hearing or have an attorney represent you at any proceedings.)
Guardianship: Guardianship may be the recommended permanency plan when a child is placed with a relative or kinship care provider, and it is determined it is not safe for the child to return home. Guardianship means the relative or kinship provider are given legal custody of the child through the court but the biological parents do not have to give up their parental rights. The guardian would have the legal rights of a parent to make decisions for the child but, if their circumstances change and the biological parents believe they can provide for their child again, they can petition the court to regain custody of the child.
Adoption: Adoption often is only a permanency option if parental rights are terminated. Adoption may become the permanency plan if it is clear that the child will not be able to safely return home and guardianship is not an option. Once parental rights have been terminated, the parent will no longer have any legal rights or legal relationship with their child, and they would not be able to get their parental rights back at any time.
Foster Care Case Management
Bringing Families Together provides contracted foster care case management services to families whose children have been placed in the foster care system, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Social Services – Children’s Division.
These children have been placed in the custody of the State of Missouri by the Family Court due to issues of abuse and/or neglect. A Family Service Worker (FSW) is assigned to each case.
The FSW:
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Serves no more than 20 children at a time on a caseload
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Links families to resources in their communities
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Oversees the family’s progress towards reunification by monitoring and adjusting services
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Monitors each child’s safety and stability in the foster placement
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Provides information and recommendations to the Family Court in legal proceedings
