zlacker

What's to stop parents from putting their kids up for foster care when they turn 15 so they can attend college at 16 for free?

>>Racing+(OP)
The state only takes care of kids if a court assumes jurisdiction under WIC 300. You can only voluntarily give ups kid within the first few days of birth (this is known as safe surrender https://advokids.org/legal-tools/safe-surrender/) otherwise courts usually assume jurisdiction due to cases of abuse, neglect, abandonment, etc

>>Racing+(OP)
When kids first enter foster care, the state assumes care and tries to work with the parents to resolve whatever issues caused the kids to be removed. During this time, the kid ideally stays with another family member or friend, but with a random foster family if not. The parents remain the legal guardians and have opportunities to see their kids, coordinated by the state.

If reunification is determined to be impossible, the state goes to court to sever parental rights. This determination normally takes a year plus, and usually means the parents have checked out or are no longer trying to resolve the issues. Only once parental rights are severed is the child considered "legally free", and is eligible to be adopted into another family. In the ideal case, this is the family they were staying with before parental rights were severed, but not necessarily.

I haven't looked into the details of this article, but I assume these funds will be used for kids that have had parental rights severed, and were either adopted or "age out" of the foster care system.

Once in foster care, most kids are traumatized. Once parental rights are severed, it is incredibly difficult for parents to "re-adopt" their kid. I sure hope no parents are so short sighted to put their child through hell to reduce the cost of college.

>>Racing+(OP)
That you have to put your kid in foster care. It's not good folks.

>>ekam+l1
Not sure how it works in California but where I live you can sign a voluntary termination of parental rights and if you're in a position to consider it they usually won't argue as far as I know.

>>Racing+(OP)
The process is a nightmare no sane person would want to get into. It's a nightmare not just for the children. Are you willing to lose all your relationships for free college? To risk losing custody for any other child you may have. now or in the future?