August 7, 2014
Advokids is in the news!

Advokids, along with three foster parents, filed suit against the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (LADCFS) for routinely failing to provide foster parents and relative caregivers with advance written notice of court hearings and opportunities to be heard when foster children are removed from their homes. LADCFS is violating the law and the rights of the people who care for foster children to participate in the juvenile court system when decisions are being made about the well-being of those children.

In her interview with KPFK radio about the suit, our own Janet Sherwood, Advokids’ Deputy Director explained “[foster parents and relative caregivers] are the people who are raising these kids. These are the people that know these kids better than anyone in the system because they are with them 24/7, whereas the social worker may only see them once a month; the CASA may only see them once a week. Even though the law says we want to hear from these people, we want information from them because we believe that the juvenile court makes better decisions when it has much information as possible about a child in foster care, [caregivers] are being systemically kept out of the court room even though the law says they should be invited in.”

You can view the complaint here ».

See media coverage of the lawsuit below: