Chesapeake Light Tackle

If the South Carolina Department of Human Services (DSS) is caring for a child, it may be necessary to remove the child from the home. Typically, a child is removed if the parent cannot provide security, food, clothing, shelter, education or health care. After removal, parents can choose to entrust their child to the family – a kinship caregiver. In many situations, a kinship caregiver is a parent by blood, marriage or adoption. However, the kinship caregiver may simply be a person who has played an important role in the child`s life. This is a voluntary written agreement signed by the parents, the caring family and the SCDSS. This is not a court order, but it describes what each person is willing to do to ensure the safety of the child in your care. All adults aged 18 and older in the family household care for the family are required to conduct background checks, which include criminal records, sex offender records and child protection services. Each adult member of the household must complete and sign this form. During the pending DSS case, the agency prepares a parental plan. The parenting plan includes conditions that are imposed on parents before a child can return home. The caregiver is responsible for the child until the DSS is satisfied that the parent has completed the parenting plan and recommends that the court dismiss the lawsuit.

A kinship caregiver could serve for a few months or a year or more, as appropriate. Kinship care refers to a temporary or permanent informal or formal arrangement in which a parent (such as a grandparent, aunt or uncle) or unrelated adult (also known as fictitious parents) who has taken in full-time care of a child whose parents are unable to do so. These caregivers often already have a close relationship or bond with the child they are interested in. Research shows that caring for kinship can help children maintain family and community ties, increase housing stability, and maintain a sense of identity, culture and belonging in times of crisis. Kinship care can also help reduce the trauma associated with separation and keep siblings together. Family caregivers admit that they have to deal with this choice in an instant. You may receive a frantic call from a family member informing them that the DSS is removing the child from home. A grandparent, aunt/uncle or family friend must decide if they want to change the dynamics of their own home to accommodate a child in need. Emotions are strong. The commitment to be a kinship nurse is important.

The person caring for the child must devote himself or herself to the child and to the best interests of the child. Ultimately, the child may return home or take a different placement, and the caregiver must also be prepared for this transition. Alternatively, the child may be with the caregiver much longer than expected and the child`s case may be more complex than expected. Patience and understanding are necessary for family caregivers. Each individual must make the decision whether or not to serve for himself. A kinship care provider could be appointed by parents who sign an informal kinship care agreement. This decision is often made quickly, on the spot, when a child is removed. A parent may only have a few hours or less to make this decision.

The alternative is for the child to be placed in foster care. In other cases, the court may appoint a kinship nurse. An Overview of Kinship Care by DSS in South CarolinaAn Overview of Economic Services (SNAP, TANF, etc.) by DSSAn Overview of the Sisters of Charity Foundation`s Kinship Care ResourcesSTE Education caregivers must also ensure that the child is undergoing any necessary therapy, whether physical or mental. Some children have several appointments a week outside of school and attendance. These commitments, along with day-to-day care, can add to a heavy role for the caregiver. Although all family caregivers care for children and educate them in their lives, this can take many different legal forms. It is important to know what legal status you have for several reasons, including determining the services to which you are entitled and the rights you have as a guardian in the eyes of the court. As a caregiver, you may have one of the following legal relationships with the minor child: To learn more about caregivers, contact the lawyers at Hyde Law Firm, PA, 864-804-6330.

Our goal is to help caregivers meet the needs of children so that children benefit from the stability that kinship care provides. A kinship nurse acts in a parenting role until a child can be brought home or other permanently placed. The caregiver is responsible for the child`s needs, i.e., safety, food, clothing, education or health care that may have been missing from the child`s home. A kinship nurse must ensure that she can meet the needs of the child and comply with DSS and court requirements. The main purpose of the MAS is to reunite the child with the biological parents or to bring the child back to the previous custody agreement. Sometimes this can cause the caregiver to come into conflict with the agency. Occasionally, caregivers are given misleading information about their own ability to obtain custody of the child or may enter the role for the purpose of adoption. Again, note that this is not a common goal with DSS. Each case is different, and a path to custody or adoption may be right for you. Consulting an experienced family law lawyer can help guide a family caregiver in this situation.

The family caregiver must facilitate any visits granted to the parents. If the DSS or court requires a certain type of visitation, the caregiver must maintain this requirement. For example, the caregiver may be asked to monitor visits or to participate only in public visits, etc. If siblings are not reunited, the child can also schedule sibling visits. Public Kinship Care describes situations in which families care for children who have to do with the child care system. Official public kinship care describes the subset of children who participate in child care and are placed with parents in formal child custody proceedings involving the court. Informal public kinship care describes the subset of child care that affects children who are placed outside of court. An example of informal public kinship care facilities would be amicable security internships.

Private kinship care is an agreement in which extended family members raise children without the involvement of child welfare services. Private kinship care can be formal (if a caregiver has a court or other legal documents) or informal (if a caregiver does not). In many cases, caregivers are not represented by a lawyer and often have to make legal decisions themselves. While the KCRC always recommends getting a lawyer`s opinion on your specific situation, there are some things you can do yourself to make the legal processes associated with kinship care easier to manage. .