Adoption Q&A #18

RIGHTS OF FOSTER PARENTS

Foster parents are the unsung heroes of the Children in Need of Protective Services programs throughout the state. For low pay and often little sleep, they agree to provide parent-like attention, love and care for children who are not their own and probably will not become their own.

When a foster parent has had a child for more than six months, it is necessary for the State to give the foster parent advance notice of its intent to remove the child from the home. If the foster parent disagrees with the change of placement decision, he or she can file an objection and have an administrative and/or court hearing to determine whether it is in the child's best interests for such removal to take place. County social service units periodically fail to give the requisite notice. Foster parents need to know there is an opportunity provided by law to challenge the removal decision when the foster parents believe it is not in the best interests of the child for whom they have provided care. See Sec. 48.64, Stats.