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my husband and I live in NJ and are fostering a relatives 3 children. We are completely in the dark as to what is going on with the parents, what they are doing if anything to get their children back. I never receive notice of upcoming court hearings like I thought I was supposed to. the cw tells me the date but i thought i was to receive official notice from the courts. I find out through the family grape vine what is going on because the caseworker will not tell me one thing. The childrens law guardian is useless, never returns my calls, never answers my questions.... my question is, am I allowed to know if the mother is complying or not and when the hearing is over and the children are to remain with me, am I allowed to know why they are remaining longer or do I just have to accept the cw telling me "everything will remain the same for now"??? I know the mother is still using drugs and it is not going well on her part and we are willing to adopt all 3 babies, I would just like to have some kind of idea where we are and where we are headed, why is that so hard???
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Getting notice of court depends on the county you live in. Some give notice, some don't (mine doesn't) despite the fact you're statutorily entitled to notice. Call your county's "children in court" office and try to get the docket number. With that number, you can check anytime on court dates and find out if they've been adjourned or when they are. Don't expect DYFS to keep you in the loop on court dates. Some CWs do and some don't....
The CW is very restricted in what they can tell you. I find most CW's err on the side of not telling you ANYTHING so they can't get in trouble for it later. You aren't entitled to know anything....you're not a party to the case and Foster Parents in NJ really have no rights whatsoever.
I've learned most of my info from sources other than CW. Go to every court hearing (no matter how many times they tell you not to come). Keep your ears open. Mostly everything I've learned about our case, I've learned in the hallways at court from overhearing things and asking questions of people. You have to be assertive. Introduce yourself, ask court staff which person is Law Guardian. Go up to Law Guardian and ask questions. I've found people are more willing to talk in person at court than anywhere else.
Good luck!
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Court is the best place to learn what is going on. You are entitled to be there and while you are sometimes not encouraged to go, you should. Ask your case worker, law guardian, and nurse the same questions, and then piece together what each of them has told you. It can't hurt to ask questions and it lets them know that you really do want to do what is best for the kids.For me, going to court was completely weird and uncomfortable but it is truly where you will learn the most information. Also, you may eventually have a team meeting (I can't remember the official name), where the parents meet with everyone involved (case worker, nurse, law guardian, any therapists, etc.) to discuss their progress. You will also be invited to this and will learn a lot.