Involvement in Planning
The agency should help to mobilize the family’s kinship network in the process of:
- assessing the risk of harm to the child
- assessing the resources of the kinship network to eliminate that risk
- developing a plan for the protection, permanence, and well-being of the child
- tailoring that plan to the needs, resources, support and desires of the family
- implementing the plan
- evaluating and monitoring the implementation of the plan
Legal Preference for Placement with Relatives
County Departments of Social Services shall strive to strengthen and preserve the family. In keeping with Federal law, North Carolina law and policy require that, when a juvenile must be removed from his home, the County DSS Director shall give preference to an adult relative or other kin when determining placement, provided that (1) the placement is assessed by the agency to be in the best interests of the child in terms of both safety and nurture; and (2) the prospective caregiver and the living situation are assessed and determined to meet relevant standards.12 The Juvenile Court is required to ask at each hearing-- non-secure custody, adjudication, disposition, review, and permanency planning-- whether or not a relative is willing and able to provide proper care and supervision for the child and, if so, to order placement with that relative if the home is assessed to be appropriate.
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