|
Children's Services Questions & Answers  |
|
Children's Services Questions & Answers |
Q. Who should
report that a child is being mistreated?
A. In North Carolina, the law commonly called "the
child abuse reporting law" is part of the Juvenile Code. It
provides that any person or institution who has cause to suspect
that any juvenile is abused, neglected, or dependent, as defined
by G.S. 7A-517, or has died as a result of maltreatment, shall
report the case of that juvenile to the Director of the
Department of Social Services or representative of that agency in
the county where the juvenile resides or is found.
Q. Will a person
who makes a report remain anonymous?
A. The law directs county departments of social services
to hold "in strictest confidence" the information that
they receive in reports. The reporter's identity may not remain
protected if the disclosure is necessary to carry out the
agency's responsibilities or the information provided must be
presented in court.
Q. What children
are covered?
A. A juvenile is someone under the age of eighteen who
is not married, emancipated, or in the armed services.
| Q.
What does neglect mean? A. The Juvenile Code defines a "neglected juvenile" as a child who: |
|
| Q.
What does abuse mean? A. The Juvenile Code defines a "abused juvenile" as a child whose parent, guardian, or caretaker has: |
|
Q. What does
dependency mean?
A. A juvenile is dependent if he or she needs assistance
or placement because either the child has no parent, guardian, or
custodian responsible for his or her care or supervision or the
child's parent, guardian, or custodian is not able to provide for
the child's care or supervision because of physical or mental
incapacity and the absence of an appropriate alternate
arrangement.
Q. What is the
purpose of an investigation?
A. The purpose of the investigation is to determine the
extent of any abuse or neglect, the risk of harm to the child,
whether the child and family need protective services, what
services would be most helpful, and whether a petition should be
filed to take a matter to court.
Q. How quickly will
an investigation start after a report is made?
A. If a report is accepted for investigation the social
services staff is required to make a prompt response. If the
report alleges abuse, the investigation must start within 24
hours. If the report alleges neglect or dependency the
investigation must start within 72 hours. Other factors including
imminent danger and age of the child are also considered when
determining response time.
Q. What takes place
during an investigation?
A. The first step in an investigation is to make face to
face contact with the child when possible. An investigation also
includes checking county and state records to determine whether
other reports have been made concerning the same family,
interviewing family members and collateral's, interviewing the
other children that live in the home, and interviewing the person
who is reported to have abused or neglected the child. After the
information is gathered the case is staffed by the unit and a
decision is made to substantiate or unsubstantiate the report.
Q. Does the
Department of Social Services have children to adopt?
A. The children that DCDSS has eligible for adoption are
considered special needs children. They range in age from
newborns to adolescents. These are all children that are
considered to be abused, neglected, or dependent.
Q. How do you find
out who the children are that are available for adoption?
A. The State maintains a registry of all children that
are available for adoption. The information about these children
is available from the adoption social worker in the Children's
Unit.
Q. Is there special
training for being an adoptive parent?
A. The agency conducts specialized classes for foster
and adoptive patents each spring and fall. You must complete
these classes before you can foster or adopt a child through this
agency.
Q. Is there
financial assistance available if I adopt a special needs child?
A. This agency provides adoption assistance for all
agency children with a documented need. This agency also has
taken the initiative to provide county dollars to supplement
state adoption assistance when financial barriers have stood in
the way of finding a home for a special needs child.
| Q. Is there
a fee if I adopt a child? A. Each agency sets its own fee schedule. Dare County will provide the following services at the listed fee in regard to specific types of adoptions: |
||
TYPE |
SERVICE |
FEE |
| Stepparent | Order for Report to the Court | None |
| Relative | Order for Report to the Court | None |
| Independent | Pre-placement Assessment and Order for Report to the Court only when specific adoptee has been identified by adoptive parents. This service is not available for foreign adoptions. | $1,500 (Director may waive or reduce fees) |
| Agency | Pre-placement Assessment and Order for Report to Court when specific state is identified | None |
Q. What is Foster
Care?
A. Foster care is the Child Welfare service which
provides substitute care for a planned period for a child when
his own family or legal custodian cannot care for him or her for
a temporary or extended period, or when an adoption is not
possible or desirable.
Foster care is not a final solution to the problem, but a temporary plan to provide the child with consistent care by substitute parents until his own parents can be helped to assume greater responsibilities, or to reach a decision to free the child.
Q. How do I become
a foster parent?
A. You start by contacting the Department of Social
Services in the county in which you reside. By law, the North
Carolina Department of Human Resources is the public institution
which is given the power to license and supervise foster homes.
The County Department of Social Services makes the investigation
into the prospective foster home and then makes a recommendation
to the State Division of Social Services which then issues a
license.
Q. How long does it
take to become licensed?
A. Getting to know the family and getting the paper work
completed will usually take 30 to 60 days.
Q. How old must I
be to become a foster parent?
A. All foster parents must be between 21 and 65 years of
age at the time of licensing.
Q. Do I have to
have been married for a certain length of time?
A. Foster parents must have been married for a minimum
of one year before a foster home license can be issued.
Q. Are there any
educational requirements?
A. There are no educational requirements. We do like our
foster parents to have enough education that they are able to
assist the children who are in their home with their educational
problems.
Q. Can a working
wife become a foster parent?
A. Foster mothers may be employed if suitable child care
can be arranged and if the work does not interfere with providing
family life and meeting the other needs of the child.
Q. Where do the
children come from?
A. Most of the children who have been entering foster
care recently have been neglected or abused at home. Neglect and
abuse can occur in any segment of the population. The majority of
children entering foster care do not come from the segment of the
population which receives public assistance.
Q. Would I have to
have a lot of money to become a foster parent?
A. We have no requirement on the foster families' income
except that they have a stable income sufficient to maintain
their own family without supplement of the board payments. Foster
parents do not make money from the board payments that we pay.
Therefore, we must be satisfied that the additional child or
children that are placed in the home will not be a cause of
financial problems to the foster parent.
Q. How many
children would I get?
A. The number of children that a foster home is licensed
for depends upon the number of children that the foster parents
feel they can work with and the sleeping space available in the
home. By law, a foster family cannot have more than five foster
children in a family foster home at any one time. In addition, we
have a requirement that there be not more than seven children in
a foster home at any given time. The seven children include the
foster parents' own children and any day care children who may be
there. We also have some restrictions regarding sleeping space:
For example, if a foster family has only girls and the foster
child would have to share a bedroom with a natural child, then
the family would be restricted in licensing "girls
only." If, however, there was a bedroom that could be used
for the foster care child alone, then the home could be licensed
for both girls and boys.
Q. Would the
natural parent know where the child was staying?
A. In most cases, no. Visits between the children and
their parents take place either in our office or in the
children's own home. However, children, particularly school age
children, can very easily get in touch with their natural
parents; they know the foster parents' names, addresses and
telephone numbers. There is no way to prevent their giving out
the information if they want their natural parents to know.
Q. What kind of
child do you get?
A. We do not get normal, happy, well-adjusted children.
Our children who enter foster care are usually doing so because
they have been abused and neglected. Most of the children do not
come from stable homes. Many of them have never had any time
spent with them by the parents in order to help them develop
their capabilities. Many of them will be troubled, and all of
them will test the foster parents greatly in the beginning. These
children need structure and love.
