Laws, regulations, and forms are constantly changing. Appellate courts announce new interpretations of laws daily.
Do not rely on this (or any other) website for legal advice specific to your situation!
California Courts use standard forms for many legal actions involving adoption and foster care. These forms are available here. Forms for families in the foster care system (juvenile dependency) are located under the “Juvenile” section at this court’s forms site. Click here to see the Juvenile forms or navigate to the forms by using the pull-down menu, selecting Juvenile, then pressing “See Forms.”
These forms may be difficult to understand and require knowledge of other California rules to fill out. You may need a lawyer’s help to complete these forms (and many forms may only be filled out by the Court after a hearing). If your foster child’s court-appointed lawyer will not help you make requests to the judge, or advise you how and when to use court forms, you should seek independent advice.
We recommend for caregivers and relatives to follow the detailed instructions, courtesy of Advokids, for how to complete, file, and serve each court forms here.
Some important forms are:
Parentage (JV-501 and JV-501S)
Post-permanency Hearing: Parental Rights Terminated/Permanent Plan of Adoption (JV-445)
Removal from Custodial Parent – Placement with Nonparent (JV-421).
The Caregiver Information Form (JV-290) and Instructions (JV-290-INFO)
This form is used to communicate good and/or bad news to the judge, the lawyers and social worker. Its OK to leave blanks if you don’t know or have no info. Make copies, then give to social worker or mail/take to court, or submit directly to the judge’s clerk.
The De Facto Parent Request Form (JV-295)
For complete information about how to fill out the De Facto Parent Request, visit the Advokids website here. You will find fillable online forms and how to prepare and file copies in court.
The De Facto Parent Statement (JV-296)
De Facto Parent Request (JV-297 )
Request to Change a Court Order (JV-180 )(a.k.a. “388 petition”)
Notice of Appeal (JV-800)