The guide is hosted on the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services website and was created in 2021.
This guide is to be used to learn more about Child in Need of Care (“CINC”) cases.
It is for foster parents, relatives, fictive kin (individuals connected to a child or family through bonds of affection, concern, obligation, and/or responsibility), and pre-adoptive parents with whom a child is living on a provisional (i.e., short-term) basis while a CINC case is being resolved. In this guide, foster parents, relatives, fictive kin, and pre-adoptive parents are referred to as foster caregivers.
Sections that are in this online guide:
1. How are DCFS and the court involved in CINC cases?
2. What is my role as a foster caregiver in the CINC court process?
3. What are my rights as a foster caregiver in the CINC court process?
4. What rights do I not have in the CINC court process?
5. What should I do when I arrive at court?
6. What information should I share with the court about the child in my care?
7. What are some tips on attending and speaking or testifying in court?
8. What happens if I do not attend a CINC court hearing?
9. Who else participates in CINC court hearings?
10. What are the different CINC court hearings and when do they happen?
11. What else should I know that is critical in the CINC process?