If you are related to a child who is removed from their home, you may have certain rights. Generally, relatives and close family friends get preference when the social worker decides where the child should live. This is the case as long as they are willing to care for the child, and as long as the social worker and the court find they are an
If you've been caring for a child who was declared a dependent of the juvenile court and you want to become more involved in the court case, you can ask the judge to find that you are the child's de facto parent. As a de facto parent, you will have the right to participate more in the child's court case.
If you are a parent and your child was removed from the home because of child abuse or neglect, you are now a part of a juvenile dependency case. The steps below will walk you through the dependency process and your rights in that process.
