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The best outcomes for foster children occur when everyone involved in the child\u2019s care and supervision works together using all of the legal tools available to them.<\/p>\nToo often problems in a child\u2019s case are not identified and communicated effectively to the Juvenile Court or the responsible agencies. In addition to caregivers, the main parties involved in the Juvenile Court process are the Juvenile Court, county child welfare agencies, foster family agencies, and attorneys.\n
The role of the Juvenile Court is critical for oversight of a foster child\u2019s case.\u00a0<\/p>\n\t
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<\/a>\n\tThe County child welfare agencies are accountable to the Juvenile courts as they propose initial case dispositions and review hearing case dispositions. Foster Family Agencies are also accountable to the Juvenile Court.<\/p>\nCalifornia state law and Federal law allow and encourage caregivers to have Juvenile Court access and Juvenile Court reporting power. In California, we have an additional reporting opportunity which allows \u201cany interested person\u201d to request a change of court order under very specific circumstances.\n
Communicating with the court requires special court forms and protocol. If you are a caregiver and wish to report to the court at the time of a review hearing, see our Caregiver Information page<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you are not a party or a caregiver and you have concerns about a child in foster care and wish to communicate with the court, see Request Change of Court Order<\/a>.<\/p>\n County child welfare agencies are responsible for the day-to-day casework for foster children in California. County agencies must file reports and recommendations to the Juvenile Court at the time of disposition, review hearings, and permanency planning hearings.<\/p>\n Advokids encourages all foster child advocates to always report their serious concerns about a child in foster care to the county child welfare agency. Here are a few things you should know about reporting to the county welfare agency:<\/p>\n It is important to inform all professionals up the chain of command of your concerns. This allows the administrators and directors of the agency to be aware of your concerns and will encourage them to scrutinize the activities and decisions within their department.<\/p>\n Copies of all letters of concern written to the agency should also be sent to:<\/p>\n Example of letter of concern (pdf)<\/a><\/p>\n Foster family agencies are also responsible for the day-to-day casework with foster children in California. They have a duty to file periodic reports with the Juvenile Court.<\/p>\n Welfare and Institutions Code Section 366.21 (d) requires that:<\/p>\n If you are an advocate with a concern about a foster child placed through a Foster Family Agency, be sure to send a letter of concern to the Foster Family Agency social worker, his\/her supervisor and the director of the Foster Family Agency. Copies of all letters of concern written to the FFA should also be sent to all county social workers involved in the child\u2019s case, the director of the county agency, the child\u2019s attorney, county counsel, and the CASA, if one has been appointed.<\/p>\n Attorneys charged with the duty of representing foster children in the dependency legal system have a tremendous responsibility. It is important for all child advocates to be familiar with Welfare and Institutions Code Section 317(e), and the state and county rules of court which set out the specific duties and obligations of minor\u2019s counsel.<\/p>\n CALIFORNIA WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE \u00a7 317(e):<\/p>\n Welfare and Institutions Code \u00a7317(e)<\/a><\/p>\n Attorneys representing children in dependency court are also held to \u201cminimum standards of representation\u201d under California Rules of Court Section 5.660<\/a>.<\/p>\n Some counties also have \u201cLocal Rules of Court\u201d requiring more specified duties of minor\u2019s counsel beyond the requirements or standards of representation required by Welfare and Institutions Code \u00a7 317(e), above, and California Rule of Court \u00a7 5.660<\/a>.\u00a0Local Rules of Court, by County (pdf)<\/a><\/p>\n California Rule of Court 5.660<\/a> also requires a process for the review and resolution of complaints or questions by a party regarding the performance of an appointed attorney<\/p>\n In some California counties, a complaint concerning the performance of an attorney appointed to represent a minor may be lodged on the child\u2019s behalf by a caretaker, relative, or a foster parent. See Local Rules of Court, by County<\/a> to find the rules in your county regarding complaint procedures.<\/p>\n If you are a relative caretaker or foster parent in one of the counties which allow \u201cnon-parties\u201d to lodge a complaint and you would like to contact the presiding judge of your juvenile court to report a problem with the attorney representing the child in your care, download and fill out the Request for Assistance with Court Appointed Attorney<\/a> form and send it to the juvenile court presiding judge in your county.<\/p>\n \u2014 Need more information? Contact Advokids<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00bb \u00bb Need help with PDF Files? Click here<\/a><\/p>\n [vc_separator type=’normal’ position=’center’ color=’#ddd’ thickness=’1′ up=’16’ down=’24’]<\/p>\nLegal Disclaimer:<\/strong> Advokids provides educational information and resources to those who use our website, call our hotline, or submit requests for information via the website. Any information provided may not be construed as the giving of legal advice to any person about a particular legal matter and should not be relied upon as the basis for taking a particular action or refraining from taking a particular action in any legal matter. If you want or need legal advice about a particular legal matter, you should consult a lawyer.\n\t 5643 Paradise Drive, Suite 12B, Corte Madera, CA 94925\u00a0 \u2022\u00a0 415.924.0587<\/p>\n 11833 Mississippi Ave. 1st floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025<\/p>\n JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u2022 \u00a0VISIT US ON FACEBOOK<\/a><\/p>\n REPORTING & INFORMATION SHARING; STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR FOSTER CHILDREN The best outcomes for foster children occur when everyone involved in the child\u2019s care and supervision works together using all of the legal tools available to them. Too often problems in a child\u2019s case are not identified and communicated effectively to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":185,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-204","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nCOUNTY CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES<\/h3>\n
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FOSTER FAMILY AGENCIES<\/h3>\n
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ATTORNEYS<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nCopyright 2017 All Rights Reserved | Advokids:\u00a0 A Legal Resource for California Foster Children and Their Advocates<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"