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Respite

Q: What is respite?

• A: Short-term care of a child in foster care provided by another licensed resource family. This can be for up to 2 weeks before it is considered a placement change. Foster parents are able to find their own respite or they can seek respite through admissions. FSC and Caseworkers must be notified that you are requesting respite.

 

Q: Are foster families that provide respite able to take kids that are in their care for the purpose of respite out of state?

• A: Yes; as long as the child’s foster family obtains a trip letter from their case manager prior to the child going to respite. The trip letter must outline that the respite family will be transporting the child out of state. If Termination has occurred a case manager may sign consent otherwise biological parents must sign consent.
   

Q: When sending a child to respite or traveling out of state what documentation is required to go with the child?

• A: The Child’s Redbook should be with the child at all times. It's important that the following items travel with the child: Placement Agreement, Travel Letter, Medical Release/Consent for Medical Care, and Medical Card
   

Q: Who pays for respite?

• A:If the child is a KVC child and the respite home is a KVC home the families should exchange   money between each other. If child or respite family is with another agency KVC will take care of the pay. If the child is with a kinship placement KVC will take care of the pay. You can reach out to your FSC if you have not been paid for your respite.

 

Travel

Q: What is a travel letter?

• A: A travel letter is a letter giving permission for a child in care to travel out of the state of KS for a designated period of time, to defined locations, and with specific individuals.

 

Q: How do I request a travel letter?

• A: At least 10 business days prior to the scheduled trip the foster family must provide the following information to their case manager. Name of the individuals that the child will be traveling with, addresses of all the places the child will be staying, dates that the child will be traveling, phone numbers, and contact information to get ahold of the child while traveling.

 

It is suggested to email this information to your caseworker and CC your FSC when requesting travel letters. Case managers are required to send this information to DCF and the courts before the travel letter can be granted/signed by the case manager.

 

Redbook

Q: How quickly should foster families receive a redbook?

• A: When the foster child is brought to your home.
   

Q: What should foster families do if they do not receive a redbook for their placement?

• A: Call the case manager or admissions and ask or the 5 essentials (placement paper, medical card, consent to medical treatment, and court paper) to be e-mailed to you. Then ask for the case worker to start locating their book.
   

Resources

Q: What resources are  available to KVC foster families?

• WIC - A federal assistance program of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for healthcare and nutrition of low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and infants and children under 5 years old. All foster children qualify for this and it can be obtained by visiting the WIC office in your county.

• School Lunches & Breakfast - All foster children qualify for the free/reduced lunch programs at public schools.

• Clothing - Contact your caseworker for assistance with clothing, there are many clothing closets in the community that provide free clothing for foster families. All children should get $125 upon initial placement of a child(ask your FSC if you do not receive this, there are some situations where this may be provided to a previous placement of the child).

• Insurance - All children in foster care are provided state insurance that starts at the point of intake, if you do not have your child’s insurance card please reach out to your child’s casework.

• Activity fund - money raised and donated to help foster children play sports, play in the band, and do activities. Ask your foster child’s worker if your child qualifies.
   

Case Team

Q: What is a Case Manager and what is their role?

• This is the child's worker. They work on behalf of the child and the parents to support reintegration. Some cases are assigned 2 workers, if this is the case the QA will work with the child and the foster family, the case worker will work with the child and the biological family(this is sometimes called an FSW).
  .

Q: What is an FSC and what is their role?

• This is the foster homes worker, they support the licensing of the foster home and should be available to answer questions within 24 business hours.
   

Q: What is a GAL and what is their role?

• A “guardian ad litem” (GAL) is a person the court appoints to investigate what solutions would be in the “best interests of a child. Foster families are encouraged to reach out to GALs, if you are unsure of who your child's GAL is, it can be found in their redbook, if it is not located in their redbook you can contact their case worker, if the case worker is unsure, you can call the county course house and they will be able to tell you the GAL assigned to the case.
   

Q: What is a CASA?

• Court Appointed Special Advocate - Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a national association in the United States that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children in order to provide children with a safe and healthy environment in permanent homes. CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court and other settings. The primary responsibilities of a CASA volunteer are to: Gather information: Review documents and records, interview the children, family members and professionals in their lives.
   

Court

Q: What is a CINC Hearing?

• Child In Need of Care - The Court hears evidence to decide whether or not to order the Child to be removed from a biological parent’s home and into the temporary custody of someone else.

 

Q: What is a Permanency Hearing?

• The first Permanency Hearing must be held within 12 months after the Child enters foster care and at least every 12 months thereafter. The Court holds the Permanency Hearing to decide if the current permanency plan is appropriate or needs to be changed; to decide if reasonable efforts have been made to assist the biological family accomplish the permanency goal; to decide if the Child’s placement is safe and appropriate; to decide if adequate progress toward permanency is being made; to decide if the Child’s needs are being met; and (if reintegration was goal) to decide if reintegration is still viable.

 

Q: What does TPR Mean?

• Termination of Parental Rights - Normally, the State’s attorney prepares and files a Motion to Terminate Parental Rights. Frequently, the State’s attorney will file the Motion after a permanency hearing or a review hearing at which the Court decides that reintegration is no longer a viable permanency goal. In cases involving egregious abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or abandonment by parents, a motion to terminate parental rights may be included in a CINC Petition filed before the Temporary Custody Hearing at the start of the case.
   

Q: What is relinquishment?

• When a foster child’s parent signs a legal document in front of a judge saying the will no longer be the legal parent of their child.

 

Q: What is a CRB?

• Citizens Review Board - This only happens in Douglas County, it is a group of citizens that review a case at mid-point to give input to the judge on their opinion in the direction of the case.

 

Q: What is ICWA?

• Indian Child Welfare Act
   

Q: What is a Tribal Transfer?

• When a tribe becomes involved in case they are able to request that the case be moved to tribal court / tribal jurisdiction. The tribe assumes all control over the case going forward.

 

Education

Q: What is an education advocate?

• A: When a parent cannot take care of the child’s educational needs the court can ask for a educational advocate. Foster parents may become a educational advocate by attending a one day class through Families Together website. www.familiestogetherinc.org 1-785-233-4777

 

Q: Can foster parents attend IEP Meetings?

• A: Yes and are encouraged to but unless you are the educational advocate you may not sign IEP papers.

 

Q: Can foster parents sign an IEP or 504B Plan?

• A: Only if you are the child’s educational advocate

 

Q: Can foster kids graduate with less high-school credits than non-foster children?

• A: Yes
   

Transportation

Q: How do we request help with transportation for kids in our care?

• Transportation is provided for therapy and visits if your county is more than 30 minutes away from the county where the visit or therapy takes place. If you work full-time then transportation may be provided to visits or other required appointments through the child's case worker. If you normally transport a child and are unable to transport your FSC may be able to assist. Transportation should contact foster home at least the evening before your child's visit. If you need to get ahold of transportation you can call admissions and they will put you in touch.
   

Q: What are mileage reimbursement forms?

• Forms that you are turned into KVC accounting so foster families can be reimbursed for miles driven to visits, therapy, court, and other non-medical appointments. These forms can be found on the KVC Documents website.
   

Q: How do you turn in mileage reimbursement forms?

• Email the form to your FSC or send them via the mail to KVC accounting department.
   

Q: Are there restrictions on transporting a foster child?

• Anyone that transports a child needs to have a valid driver's license, valid insurance, a first aid kit, and a KVC background check.
   

Adoption

Q: What is BIS

• A: Best Interest Staffing where a team picks a family for a foster child’s adoption

 

Q: What is a Subsidy Negotiation Meeting and when does it happen?

• A: When the foster family meets with DCF to see what supstidy the government will grant to help raise the adopted child.   

 

Q: Who is part of a BIS?

• A: DCF, GAL, Caseworker, Caseworker supervisor, (not foster parents if they are trying to adopt the child.
   

Case Planning

Q: What is a Case Plan?

• A: Where the team around the family (Caseworker, GAL, therapist, foster family, and anyone else with interest in the case) sets goals and provides accountability to help the family achieve reintegration.

 

Q: Are foster families allowed to or required to attend a case plan?

• A: Foster families are encouraged to attend case plans but not required. You may call in to the case plan. Case plans are a great way to have a lot of information about your foster child’s case.

 

Q: At what age is a foster child required or requested to attend case plan?

• A: The child may start attending at age 7 if they would like to. The child will often leave when the parents goals are discussed.
   

Communication

Q: Are foster families allowed to communicate with biological family members?

• A: Yes Communication can go at the speed the foster parents are comfortable with and as a relationship is being built.

Q: How should foster families determine when it's safe / appropriate to communicate with biological families?

• A: First notify your foster child’s case worker. If the incident occurs after work hours call admissions to report the incident. When the incident is over besure to fill out a critical incident report (located in the KVC document library on the website) and email it to your FSC and child’s caseworker.

 

Child Care

Q: What are the rules surrounding child care for a foster child?

• A: The foster parent must have a full time job.and attend a daycare who supports DCF payments.

 

Q: Is child care paid for?

• A.: Yes, if the foster parent has a full time job.

 

Q: How do you set up childcare reimbursement with a daycare provider?

• A: Contact your FSC for the paperwork. The childcare must be setup to receive DCF rate of pay payments.

 

Q: How do I find a list of daycares that will accept DCF rate of pay or at least work with KVC on partial payment in my area?

• A: Child Care Aware referral service

 

Q: Who is allowed to babysit a foster child?

• A: Your babysitter must have a background check and be 3 years older than the oldest child and be at least 14 years of age

 

Q: Can my foster child stay at home by himself?

• A: First you must talk to the child’s Case Manager to set up a safety plan. They must be at least 14 years old and they may be home for 4 hours or less. They may not be alone before 6am or after 12pm.

 

Q: Can my preschool child attend Headstart or Jumpstart?

• A: Yes, foster children are encouraged to join these programs. Call you school district to find the program in your area.

 

Medical

Q: How do I find a list of doctors offices that accepts my foster child's insurance?

• A: The insurance agencies have a list of acceptable doctors on their website.

 

Q: Where can I get free immunizations for my foster child?

• A: Some doctors offices can provide immunizations but if your office does not Johnson County Health Department will. Johnson County Health Department is also a great place to check and see what shots your foster child has had.

 

Q: I have a child who arrived without their medication. What should I do?

• A: Call the case manager immediately and if you can not reach them call admissions.

 

Q: If a child requires a trip to Urgent Care or the ER what is the process of notifying KVC that this happened?

• A: A critical report (which can be found on the KVC website under documents) should be filled out and sent to the caseworker and your FSC.
   

Resources

Q: Do my foster children qualify for any free or reduced lunch programs at school?

• A: Foster children automatically qualify for free lunch. Fill out the free lunch form from the school and mark the box that says foster child. You do not have include your income since foster kids are their own household.

 

Q: What fees will DCF or KVC assist with when registering a child for school?

• A: Since foster children receive free lunch many registration and book fees are waved.

 

Q: Can my foster child receive WIC?

• A: Foster children under the age of 5 qualify for WIC. Call you local health department to set up a appointment. You will need to take the child’s placement paper and a letter with your current address to provide proof of residence.

 

Visits

Q: Are foster parents required to monitor visits?

• A: No foster parents are not but can if they feel comfortable.

 

Licensing

Q: What are the continuing education requirements for keeping our license valid each year?

• A: 8 hours a year per adult in the family  for FOST rate with 2 face to face credit hours. More hours may be required for higher rate pay foster children.

 

Q: Who do we send continuing education information to so that it will be counted as credit?

• A: Email the certificate to you FSC.

 

Q: When a foster family moves, how many days do they have to complete the relicensing process?

• A: 30 days

 

Q: Who needs to be notified when a foster family is planning to move?

• A: The foster parents FSC and the foster children’s case worker’s.

 

ICPC

Q: What is an ICPC?

• A: The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is a statutory agreement between all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands. The agreement governs the placement of children from one state into another state.

 

Q: How quickly can ICPCs be accepted/denied?

• A:Many factors influence how long it takes for a receiving state to decide whether or not to approve a placement. It can take time for potential foster/relative/adoptive families to complete all of the requirements for approval in their state. In addition to interviews and home inspection, those requirements may include FBI fingerprint background clearances, child welfare history checks from other states where the family has lived, reference checks, and completion of relevant training.  Federal law requires states to complete a home study and provide a written report to the sending state within 60 calendar days of receiving a placement request..
   

Placement Change

Q: What is the process for requesting a placement be removed from a foster home and what timelines are there associated with these requests?

• A: If a child has been in your home less than 6mo you may give a 2 week written notice. Over 6mo is a 4 week written notice. If a child is sent to a psychiatric hospital you do not have to accept the child back into your home.
   

Admissions

Q: How do you get put on the admissions call list or removed from the admissions call list?

• A: The foster parent’s  FSC can add or take you off the admissions list.

 

Q: Are "24-hour" placements truly 24-hour when a child is placed on a Friday or Saturday?

• A: Weekends and Holidays often are 2 nights.
   

Procedure

Q: What should a foster parent do if they have information that a biological parent is using drugs/alcohol or doing something that is inappropriate while working reintegration?

• A: The foster parent should send a email to the worker with factual information

 

Q:What should a foster parent do if they have information about a sibling of a child in care that is living out of state but not known to KVC?

• .A: The foster parent should send a email to the worker with factual information

 

Q: What should a foster parent do if they learn that a biological parent of their placement is pregnant?

A: The foster parent should send a email to the worker with factual information

 

Q: What should a foster parent do if they receive a medical bill for a child in their care that was not covered by the child's insurance?

• A: Call the medical facility and give them the foster child’s medical information card. Let your FSC and child’s worker know you have received the bill. If the bill is not resolved let the foster child’s insurance agency know of the problem.

 

Behavioral

Q: What is a critical incident form?

• A: is any event or situation that creates a significant risk of substantial or serious harm to the physical or mental health, safety or well being of a foster child. This form is on the KVC website document library and should be filled out and sent to your FSC and the foster child’s social worker.

 

Q: I have a foster child who is dysregulated (out of control) what do I do?

• A: If the child is out of control and is threatening or harming themselves or others call 911. Call the social worker or admissions when you have time.

 

Q: When a foster child runs away what should I do?

• A: Call the foster child’s case worker and then admissions if it is after hours. Upon directions of the workers call 911.