Niece Placed in Foster Care by DCF, but Aunt Wants to Provide a Home

[All For Him]

My question involves guardianship in the State of: FL
My Niece has been taken from the home of one of my Sisters because DCF has recognized that my Sister is not able to take care of things right now and needs to work on her issues- alcoholism, etc...The niece is in her younger teens. My other Sister wants to take her in, and is more than capable, but a decision was made at a shelter hearing to place the Niece in a foster home. I've searched the internet, but the exact proceedure for an aunt to provide a home for a DCF involved child alludes me. My sister's calls to the DCF office working on the case have not gotten the desired results, in spite of their assurances that she would be considered when they decided where to place the Niece. There have been 3 different DCF contacts in just 3 weeks, so we are not sure if the person making the Foster Care decision even knew about my sister's willingness to help. Does anyone know what the proceedure is?

[Mr. Knowitall]

You say, "a decision was made at a shelter hearing to place the Niece in a foster home", meaning that the mother and/or the aunt requested an in-family placement with the aunt and the decision was nonetheless made that the children should be in foster care? In the event that protective services wasn't told that the aunt was willing to take the children, why wouldn't the mother tell the social workers about in-family placement options if she wants protective services to place the children with their aunt?

[Dogmatique]

I believe (from the same OP on another board) that the Aunt also lives out of State, IIRC.

(Which would complicate things)

[aardvarc]

There are typically three ways that things can progress when circumstances warrant a child being removed from a home: either (a) the family can work out the issue and the parent willingly allow the child to live with whomever is willing to take the child in, or (b) if the parent is resistant to allowing the child to live with other family, family can seek temporary guardianship through the courts, or (c) if neither (a) nor (b) occurs, then the state steps in to remove the child and THEY get to determine where the child goes. Since the first goal of any removal is to reunite the child with the parent, such placements are almost 100% going to be within the same state. Most often when otherwise willing family members are NOT given temp placement and a foster home is chosen instead, it's due to one or more of these factors:

- lives out of state (that's a BIGGIE - one the child leaves the state CPS has MAJOR problems with jurisdiction and getting the child RETURNED to the home state - they simply have no way to ENFORCE an order for out of state family to return the child upon demand)
- has someone living in the home with a criminal record (they're just NOT going to place a child there)
- the parent is anticipated to get the child back relatively quickly, such as upon completion of a case plan, therapy, substance abuse program, etc. (ie isn't in prison for 15 years)
- the potential receiving home hasn't ALREADY been certified, like foster homes are (meaning the home has been checked, the guardians have completed first aid and CPR training, etc.)

[Dogmatique]

this might help


I might have misremembered - it seems the Aunt is "half a day" away. Now that usually means out of state, but could very well mean that she's still in the same state.

If OP would clarify...