Can Foster Parents Petition for Custody in Maui

Can foster parents petition for custody on Maui?

Foster care is a temporary measure generally designed as an emergency arrangement for children who are no longer safe living with their natural parents. But do foster parents in Maui have any rights?

Caring for a child who isn’t yours is not easy. Often times though, a certain bond may develop between the little one and the foster family, determining the latter to seek a more permanent solution. In this case, the main question still remains, can foster parents petition for custody on Maui?

If you are a foster parent and would like to learn more about your rights, read on to find out more about foster parenting and what is takes to welcome a new child in your household.

Who can become a foster parent in Maui?

Unfortunately, there are many children in Maui who are no longer able to live with their own parents. This is where foster care agencies come into play.

Each foster care agency in Maui may have their own requirements, but the basic ones typically remain the same.

In order to become a foster parent on the island, here are some of the basic requirements you should meet:

• Foster parents should be at least 21 years old;
• Foster parents in Hawaii can be married, divorced, single or even widowed;
• A proper health screening and TB clearance is mandatory;
• Foster families cannot have more than 5 children in their home;
• Criminal and CPS clearances are mandatory, as well as employment and character references.

In addition, all foster parents must have a steady income and sufficient funds to maintain an adequate standard of living for the entire household.

What rights do foster parents have in Maui?

Being a foster parent in Maui implies caring for a child like he or she was your own. However, you are legally required to share your parenting responsibilities with a welfare agency.

From a legal point of view, the custody of the child isn’t yours, but the agency’s. With that said, here are some of the rights you have a foster parent on the island:

• You have the right to protect the integrity of your natural family unit;
• Foster parents may receive compensation for their services;
• A foster parent is allowed to punish a child to the same extent a natural parent would;
• Foster parents may terminate the rights of the birth parents.

Can foster parents petition for custody on Maui?

Since a foster parent is legally able to terminate the rights of a natural parent, the simple answer to the question “can foster parents petition for custody on Maui?” is “Yes“. In fact, According to the national Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), 53% of adopted children in the U.S. were adopted by their foster parents. The procedure however, is not always simple.

In order to petition for custody in Maui, foster parents must first initiate adoption and custody proceedings. You then need to receive a judicial court order and wait for the adoption procedure to be finalized, all the while learning as much as possible about the child you want to adopt and the adoption process.

If you are seeking legal help on Maui and would like to take the first steps towards welcoming a new member to your family, contact Lowenthal & Lowenthal today. Our skilled family law attorneys are ready to help you throughout this process.