SOCC Frequently Asked Questions

Save Our Children Coalition (SOCC) - A project of the University of Michigan-Dearborn School of Education, the Save Our Children Coalition is a coordinating body which encourages collaboration among established and emerging community groups for Michigan’s children in foster care.

SOCC seeks to determine strengths in the foster care system, and supports the development of programs that fill gaps and correct problems.

Close

Your Rights in Foster Care:

The rights for youth in foster care may be different in each state. FosterClub put together the following list of rights based on rights for youth in foster care across the country. Ask your caseworker about your rights in your state. If your rights are being violated, contact a caseworker, attorney, CASA or foster parent immediately.

As a youth in foster care, you have the right:*

To know your rights in foster care, to receive a list of those rights in written form and to know how to file a complaint if your rights are being violated.

To be told why you came into foster care and why you are still in foster care.

To live in a safe and healthy home where treated with respect, with your own place to store your things, and where you receive healthy food, adequate clothing, and appropriate personal hygiene products.

To have personal belongings, secure, and transported with you.

To have caring foster parents or caretakers who are properly trained, have received background checks and screenings, and who receive adequate support form the Agency to help ensure stability in the placement.

To be placed in a home with your brothers and sisters when possible, and to maintain regular and unrestricted contact with siblings when separated (including help with transportation), unless ordered by the court.

To attend school and participate in extracurricular, cultural, and personal enrichment activities.

To have your privacy protected. You can expect confidentiality from the adults involved in your case.

To be protected from physical, sexual, emotional or other abuse, including corporal punishment (hitting or spanking as a punishment) and being locked in a room (unless you are in a treatment facility).

To receive medical, dental, vision and mental health services.

To refuse to take medications, vitamins or herbs, unless prescribed by a doctor.

To have an immediate visit after placement and have regular visits ongoing with biological parents and other relatives unless prohibited by court, or unless you don’t want to.

To make and receive confidential telephone calls and send and receive unopened mail, unless prohibited by court order.

To have regular contact from and unrestricted access to social workers, attorneys, and advocates and to be allowed to have confidential conversations with such individuals.

To be told by your social worker and your attorney about any changes in your case plan or placement and receive honest information about the decisions the Agency is making that affect your life.

To attend religious services and activities of your choice and to preserve your cultural heritage. If possible your placement should be with a family member or someone from your community with similar religion, culture and/or heritage.

To be represented by an attorney at law in administrative or judicial proceedings with access to fair hearing and court review of decisions, so that your best interest are safeguarded.

To be involved, where appropriate, in the development of your case plan and to object to any of the provisions of the case plan during case reviews, court hearings and case planning conferences.

To attend court and speak to a judge (at a certain age, usually 12) about what you want to have happen in your case.

To have a plan for your future, including an emancipation plan if appropriate (for leaving foster care when you become an adult), and to be provided services to help you prepare to become a successful adult.

* Unless restricted by law or otherwise restricted by the court.

Close

Every day, nearly four children die in the U.S. as a result of child abuse and neglect and over 27,000 children are exposed to domestic violence.



Protecting kids requires us all to work together. Please read the signs of child abuse, below, and pledge to take action to keep kids' lives free from violence.



I pledge to:



1) Call the police (911) immediately if I suspect that a child is in immediate danger.




2) Learn and watch out for the 10 common signs of child abuse:




* Unexplained injuries. Visible signs of physical abuse may include unexplained burns or bruises.




* Changes in behavior. Abused children often appear scared, anxious, depressed, withdrawn or more aggressive.




* Returning to earlier behaviors. Abused children may display behaviors shown at earlier ages, such as thumb-sucking, bed-wetting, fear of the dark or strangers.




* Fear of going home. Abused children may express apprehension or anxiety about leaving school or about going places with the person who is abusing them.

(From http://www.thepetitionsite.com)

Close

The following step-by-step considerations come from ehow.com's article on how to be a foster parent:

Step 1

Think about whether you would be able to care for children in your home for months or even years and then say goodbye to them and return them to their parents, who may have abused them in the past.

Step 2

Consider your family. If you have children at home, will they be able to handle the changes foster children will bring to the home?

Step 3

Understand that you need to have time to care for foster children. If you are very busy, you may not be able to devote the necessary amount of time.

Step 4

Know that although foster parents receive financial compensation, it is not a way to get rich or even make some extra money. Many foster parents find that they spend more money caring for the children than they receive from the state.

Step 5

Realize that foster care usually does not mean you will be caring for a sweet little baby. You may have hostile teenagers, depressed grade-schoolers and undisciplined preschoolers placed in your home.

Step 6

Contact your local department of social services or human services to obtain information about becoming a foster parent.

Step 7

Understand that to be a foster parent, you need to be approved by your state and become part of an agency. Placements are made by the social services department through agencies.

Step 8

Look in your phone book for the names of foster care agencies in your area. Call them and talk to them about becoming a foster parent.

Step 9

Talk to some foster parents to get an idea of what the reality of foster care really is.

Step 10

Undergo the necessary training program run by agencies in your area or through the social services department.

Step 11

Begin the application process with your local agency. Be prepared for some tough quesitons about your lifestyle, your abilities and your motives.

Step 12

Allow agency workers to inspect your home - through both scheduled and unscheduled visits.

Step 13

Be prepared to make changes to your home to make it safe or appropriate for foster children.

Step 14

Believe that helping a child who needs a home is one of the greatest and most unselfish ways you can make a difference in the world.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_10860_be-foster-parent.html

Close

What is foster care?

Foster care is the temporary care of children who have been removed from their parents because they have been abused or neglected. They are in the legal care of the State but need a family to care for them. They are often waiting to join a family, along with their brothers and sisters, and may have emotional, behavioral, developmental, or medical challenges.

Close