Thanks for joining us against for this discussion on what’s involved in having your relatives foster your children when CPS takes them away from you. We know it’s a hard subject to read about, or even think about, but for parents who are engaged in battles with CPS, and who are at risk of having their children removed, knowing they’ll be cared for by someone who loves them and cares about their well being, can bring incredible peace of mind. It also makes it so much easier on your kids.

But as we explained in the previous article, there’s more involved than just asking your sister or mother or cousin to take your kids for a few months until your get your situation sorted out with the court. In order for CPS to consider placing your children with a relative, that relative has to meet the state’s basic requirements for a foster placement home.

What are Michigan’s basic requirements for a placement home?

In order to meet the basic requirements, an adult relative who is being considered as a foster parent has to undergo the following:

• A home study must be done to make sure that your relative’s home where the child will be living is safe. Things like working toilets, enough beds, locks on the doors, and smoke detectors are all examples of state home requirements.
• A criminal background check must be done to make sure that the adults in the home with your child are not violent, or given to criminal behavior. Registered sex offenders and people with criminal histories won’t be considered. However, certain non-violent misdemeanors are sometimes overlooked if enough time has passed.
• Your relative must also undergo a Central Registry clearance, which means CPS checks to make sure that they haven’t been suspected of child abuse or neglect by CPS workers in the past.

Will my child be placed with my relatives while they get checked out?

This depends on a lot of factors. The time that your kids were removed can play a role, and so can the willingness of the CPS worker to work with you. If your relative hasn’t been checked out by CPS and met the state requirements, chances are your child will be put into an interim foster home. That means they’ll be placed in a temporary foster home that has already been licensed by the state, until your relative has been checked out and has met the requirements.

Does CPS always look for relatives first?

No they don’t, although it would make sense for them to check out all relative options first. However, if you want your children to be with family instead of in a traditional foster home, you need to make that known to CPS as soon as possible. The court isn’t required to place a child with a family member. So if relative placement is your wishes for your child, that request should be presented to the court, along with evidence that it’s in the best interest of your child.

What do I do if CPS is trying to take my kids away from me?

At The Kronzek Firm, we’ve spent decades fighting CPS overreach. We know how hard this is for you, and if you choose to have one of our highly skilled CPS defense attorneys represent you during the process, we will do everything within our power to keep your family together.

We have many, many years of experience protecting mid-Michigan families, and even in situations where keeping a family together isn’t possible, we will work hard to ensure that your wishes for your children’s placements are honored by the court. So call us immediately at 866 766 5245 and get the help you need during this difficult time. Don’t forget to join us again next time for the wrap up on this subject!