Interacting with DCF
As a foster parent, partnering effectively with DCF is incredibly important. Your relationship with the social workers on your case is the most significant contact you will have with the child welfare system. In early 2023, DCF rolled out new policy that impacts the “family resource” team, the team that works directly with foster and preadoptive families. Family Resource Workers will now serve in one of three roles, whereas before they were doing all three simultaneously. This flyer explains the new policy and the changes to expect.
Beyond these changes, however, understanding the relationship between you and DCF can make or break your experience. Browse the resources below, and order AOK’s Guidebook if you haven’t already. It’s 87 pages of navigating your role as a foster parent in Massachusetts, and a resource you will come back to again and again.
Hub Partners:
Related Resources:
Helpful Checklists
- What to ask when DCF calls about a placement: AOK Checklist
- What to ask when DCF calls about a placement – FPA Checklist (lengthy)
- Before the social worker leaves, make sure…
- Why We Ask
Ongoing Contact with DCF
- Your role as a foster parent: Six things to know
- How a case progresses through the foster care system (flowchart)
- Advocating for yourself – The DCF chain of command (flowchart)
Foster Care Review
Policy/Procedure Documents
- DCF Standards and Requirements for Licensure
- DCF Policies and Procedures
- Foster Parent Agreement
- DCF-Stated Foster Parent Responsibilities
- Child Placement Agreement
- Medical Passport
- (Birth) Family Assessment & Action Plan