Healthy Foster Care America: Judges, Attorney's and Child Advocates

Judges, Attorneys and Child Advocates

Children and teens typically enter foster care with a history of acute and often complex trauma that results from child abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence. Judges, attorneys, guardian ad litems (GALs), Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), and other child advocates play an important role in making sure a child or teen in foster care is cared for properly and remains in good health.

Judges need to understand how health, development, placement, and safety affect positive and permanent outcomes for the children and teens who come before them. Attorneys, GALs, and other child advocates must protect the rights and address the needs of their child and teen clients. Managing the child’s court case, monitoring his foster home stay and visitation, and advocating for the child’s medical, dental, and other health care needs are significant functions of the legal professional working in child welfare.

While advocating for the best permanency plan for the child or teen — whether that means family reunification, adoption, legal guardianship, placement with a relative or some other appropriate permanency option — legal professionals should always ensure that the health care needs of children and teens in foster care are addressed.

Here, we have provided resources to help educate legal professionals about the challenges and needs of children and teens in foster care. In addition, we have provided hand-outs that legal professionals can pass on to parents (foster and birth) and kin.

Resources

Forms

Back to Sleep for Babies in Foster Care: Every Time, with Every Caregiver
For judges or caseworkers to provide to all caregivers involved in a baby’s care (including foster parents and birth parents) to educate them about safe sleep, and pledge to follow the proper safe sleep practices

Common Health Issues for Children and Teens in Foster Care Coming Soon!

Consent to Obtain Confidential Records
or Information
To be completed by a patient, or the guardian of a patient, who is allowing a practice to obtain specified confidential records.

Consent to Release Confidential Records
or Information
To be completed by a patient, or the guardian of a patient, who is consenting to the release of confidential records or information, to a specified practice.

Generic Bench Officer Referral Form
Coming Soon!

Health Summary Form
To be completed (or updated) by the physician/provider at the conclusion of every visit, and given to the child’s or teen’s foster parent(s) and caseworker as a complete summary of the most important health issues, treatment plans, and upcoming appointments.

Tip Sheets

Confidentiality Laws Tip Sheet

Helping Traumatized Children: Tips for Judges

What to Do if a Child or Teen Acts Out or Hurts Others? Coming Soon!

AAP Parent Materials

HealthyChildren.org
A new AAP consumer Web site where you can find a wealth of materials related to the health and well-being of children and teens.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Toilet Training

Crying and Your Baby: How to Calm a Fussy or Colicky Baby

Effective Discipline

AAP Parent Materials - continued

Mental Health