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I found out today that the social worker has been removing our foster child from school to meet with him without telling me. I am not a new foster parent and have always been told that the social worker is supposed to notify me at least 24 hours in advance before contacting the child or making a visit to my home unless a complaint has been made.
Does anyone have experience with this or have a source they can cite? I am very unhappy about this.
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While all of our kiddos are too young to be in school, we were told in our classes that if we had school aged children, to expect unannounced visits from social workers at school. When this was questioned in class, we were told that they do this to make sure they are able to speak to kids freely without any added stress or coaching from their current placement. I don't think it is meant with any disrespect to you, I think they are just looking out for the children's best interest. I'm sure there are situations where kids are nervous when they see the social workers visit and we, as their protectors want to make sure they are emotionally prepared for it but we were told to expect that. Sorry I can't be of more help!
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They try to give notice to come to your home, but they don't have to as surprise visits are required in our area. Also, like the PP said, school visits assure the SW that the child can speak freely. If anything comes of it I'm sure you'll hear about it. Otherwise it's kind of nice that it's over and done with and you didn't have to clean the house house for a visit.
We have always been told that the child's social worker can see the child anytime and anywhere that they want to with or without you. They are wards of the state and as a foster parent we have no say in any of it.
If it is causing issues for the child at school such as missing out on important classes and falling behind or getting upset or embarrassed you can talk to the social worker about it and say that it is bother the child but it ultimately boils down to what the social worker wants to do.
When I was fostering teenage girls in California, their caseworkers or probation officers usually saw them at school with no advance notification. It was never a big deal, as I never had anything to hide. If the visits were at my home, they usually called me the day before but not always. Sometimes they dropped by my place unannounced, which I thought was great on their part, sort of like parents are encouraged to do with daycare providers.
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