US: Get Kids with Kin, and Quickly (Opinion)
Imprint – December 06, 2021
Research tells us that children in foster care fare much better when living with their family. But all too often, kids are placed with strangers because relatives aren’t properly identified or notified, nor are they told how they can request placement of their kin. Instead, their ability to keep children in the family hinges on the diligence of their caseworker, or the quality of attorneys for the child or the parents. In most jurisdictions, relatives don’t have standing to make a request for placement in juvenile court. So if an overworked caseworker doesn’t do a home study or wrongly denies a placement, and overburdened attorneys don’t notice, relatives have few options. Children lose out on their right to be with their people.
https://imprintnews.org/opinion/get-kids-with-kin-and-quickly/60912