If you want to see my daughter, I need your fingerprints please

davidandheather · January 2014

Is this just a Texas law or all over? As long as the kids are still in foster care, no one can come over to our house over the age of 14 unless they go through a background check and get fingerprinted.

It was not that strict until last year. One of the Texas Agencies Foster homes families had a friend stop in who murdered a child in foster care. This was terrible. The state reacted in a big way.

We have friends over all the time from our church. So far most people are doing the form because they want to help us out and provide babysitting when we have training.

Little Lady's 4th birthday is in just 2 weeks. When given the choice of Chucky Cheese, Jumping Jungle or home for her party, she wanted nothing more than a party at her new house.

That rule is going to make things a little tricky. It may just be family and one or two friends this time. Not sure how the kids parents in her preschool will react when I tell them they need to go through a background check if they want to stay through the party!

Next year, things will be smoother and easier I think. I keep telling myself that.

bumpuser794640 · January 2014

My Bil/Sil are doing foster-to-adopt in Texas and I've never heard this before...? We go over there whenever we are in town.

msditz00 · January 2014

Yikes, and I thought it was bad having to get our family fingerprinted to babysit!

davidandheather · January 2014

It is very new regulation. I think it started in November.

mtendere · January 2014

That is an insane overreaction. We have no such restrictions. In fact, even sitters only have to do a simple background check - no fingerprints. Craziness. Hopefully, they will realize how oppressive that is and ease up. Maybe write some letters to powers that be?

sgb721 · January 2014

Wow thats crazy. Here in NJ it is just those living in your home over 14 that need to be printed and cleared.

plus12012 · January 2014

Have you spoken to your case worker about this? I am somewhat familiar with what you are referring to but, my understanding is that you can have people visit you at your home w/out the fingerprinting or background checks if, you or your licensed spouse will be present, if it is for less than 8 hours and not overnight and with the verbal consent of your case worker. I'd ask just to make sure and hopefully it'll be simpler then you think.

mommytoconnor · January 2014

Not like this in AZ, the only time people have to be fingerprinted and background checked is when they are going to be watching the child or staying longer than a few days. I did have my aunt who stayed with me for 3 days and I had to call to get permission from the case worker, but she didn't have to get fingerprinted or background check, they just took her name down. This seems a bit extreme and unrealistic to me.

IRR · January 2014

plus12012 said:

Have you spoken to your case worker about this? I am somewhat familiar with what you are referring to but, my understanding is that you can have people visit you at your home w/out the fingerprinting or background checks if, you or your licensed spouse will be present, if it is for less than 8 hours and not overnight and with the verbal consent of your case worker. I'd ask just to make sure and hopefully it'll be simpler then you think.

I sure hope what you posted is the rule, because otherwise that is NUTS. Almost like being a prisoner in your own home.

lorifromwi · January 2014

Spooko said:

It's definitely not like that in WI. How much red tape for you guys!

@Spooko, where are you at in WI? We are just starting to get into the foster/ adopt process in Milwaukee County and I'd be interested in hearing your experiences.

[Deleted User] · January 2014

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Ihope · January 2014

How do you socialize a child properly if everyone they meet needs a background check? So no birthday parties or family gatherings for the holidays? Is it okay then to go out to dinner or an amusement park, after all you will encounter strangers whom you do not have the background of.

davidandheather · January 2014

If someone wants to come visit, they need to go through a background check. If they will babysit, they need fingerprints. The laws changed last fall when some fraud was found in the foster system after a tragic incident(s).

https://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/local/texas-mentor-admits-background-check-lapse-in-girl/nZTsh/

We avoid the stress by just going to visit people at their house or meeting at Chick-fil-A, etc.

This is how my SW explained it.

With regards to backgrounds, anyone who wi be around children in foster care needs to have their backgrounds run even if they stop by quickly.

Anyone who will have even a moment of unsupervised access to children in foster care will need to have backgrounds run in addition to fingerprinting completed.

Yes this could include a lot of friends and family but these are the new state requirements. So I would encourage you to provide information to me on those closest to you and differentiate between visitor w no unsupervised access and visitor who may at some point have unsupervised access (babysitter or you decide to run out to the car for a moment and leave the person with the children).

The only other suggestion I have is to go and visit people over the next few months once the adoption is finalized you won't need to worry about all these crazy rules. This all stems from a child who died in foster care this past summer at the hands of a frequent visitor. It is a reactionary solution that in my opinion may/may not have prevented the child from being killed. But this is the new state standard and we have to meet them. The goal is to keep kids safe so this according to the state is one of the ways.

maryoosa · January 2014

That's still totally ridiculous.

mysticl · January 2014

What's the difference between them coming to your house or you going to their house? If they are going to harm the child they could just as easily do so in their own home? That is a crazy over reaction on the part of the state.

I used to work in foster care and handled the back ground checks for our parents. We had a saying: "All a clean background check means is that you've never been caught".

davidandheather · January 2014

It is ridiculous. We just have to grin and bear it. It will be worth it in the end. This little girl is amazing and we are so happy to be her mommy and daddy. We can't wait until it is all final.

sgb721 · January 2014

So.. if you went to McDonald's, and other parents and children just happened to be there, you could interact with all of them correct? Does this mean you can just have her birthday party out at a location? Or could a friend throw a party that you happen to attend that just so happens to have a cake for her?

davidandheather · January 2014

Oh yes,we can go anywhere, anyone's house, any place with folks not checked. We just can't have them at our house without a check. Little lady wanted a party at her house. I tried to talk her into McDonalds or Chucky Cheese but she wanted her NEW house!

It all worked out though. My dear friend got checked and brought her 5 year old twins over. That was plenty of kids for her first party!

amberelyse · March 2014

I think that's just your agency. We're in Texas, and we're required to have babysitters get background checks and fingerprints. Frequent guests -- not every guest -- need to have a background check.

CeCe8579 · March 2014

In NC, you are only required to go through classes and a background check if you are over 18 and live in the home with the child. Also, any long term caregiver has to be approved by the state.

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If you want to see my daughter, I need your fingerprints please

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