Frequently Asked Questions and Answers:
- Where is the Los Angeles Children’s Court and what do I need to know before I attend a court hearing in my foster child’s case?
- What are the rules for DCFS disclosure of information about a child to a prospective adoptive parent?
- What are my rights if the social worker wants to move my foster child to a new home?
- What is DCFS policy regarding how it handles grievances by disappointed relatives? Where do I find forms?
- What are my employment rights to time off during the adoption or foster placement of a child?
- Is my foster and/or adopted child entitled to health insurance? What will happen if there are pre-existing conditions?
- What court forms are required to finalize my foster child’s adoption after parental rights have been terminated? How long will it take? Will I get to pick a date for our adoption?
- How can I find out if my name is listed on the Child Abuse Index (“CACI”) ? What can I do to ask that my name be removed from the CACI?
- Can I take a tax deduction for my foster child?
- How can I obtain a social security number for my foster child or the child I am in the process of adopting?
- What can I expect at a Team Decision Making Meeting (“TDM”) for my foster child?
- Can foster and adoptive parents get time off work to bond with a child?
- What is a Live Scan, where should I get Live Scanned, and why does it take so long to get results of a criminal background check?
- What should I do when I discover that someone (such as birth mother or father) is claiming my adopted child as a dependent on his or her IRS tax returns?
- How can I find my foster child’s social security number to include in my tax return? The social worker won’t provide it.