Until I tranfer all our links to the Links Directory (volunteers most heartily accepted), I'll post a few of the ones you'll NEED here to get you started
You are entering a government arena of bureaucracy and red tape from the moment you first become enmeshed with Social Services. The BEST thing you can do, before you do another thing, is to find out exactly what you should/should not do and what you can/can not do. To do anything, you must first understand what you are dealing with. I will be supplying numerous links on this page to get you going. DEDICATE yourself to learning what branch of the government you are dealing with and HOW to deal with them. Learn about your government and how it works. A good place to start with the government is here, as all state governments have federal guidelines they MUST follow in order to obtain funding for their respective states/territories. That's the place to start.
U.S. Federal Government Official information and services from the U.S. government
If you are doing your own research, or even you are just curious about these topics, a good place to start is with your state's statutory (legal) codes. I am including several links to get you going. Most of these links have searchable databases. Knowledge is power. ARM YOURSELF and get to know your rights, as well as your limitations.
SUPREME COURT CASE CITATION FINDER - Searchable database
UNITED STATES CODE: The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 50 titles and published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Since 1926, the United States Code has been published every six years. In between editions, annual cumulative supplements are published in order to present the most current information. Documents are available only as ASCII text files. More.
STATE CODE LINKS: LII Legal Information Institute of Cornell University Law School. A searchable database listed by juridiction which covers all 50 states.
LAWGURU.COM - Another comprehensive listing of U.S. State and Territorial Laws
PARENTSRIGHTS.COM - A nice collection of cases involving parental rights is listed by state here. This is also a good website for other resources and research.
FAMILY/CHILDREN'S SERVICES LINKS
Believe it or not, there's a lot of good information out there from the very people who are tearing up our families. If only they would read their own manuals, we might find less trauma and more cooperation.
CHILD WELFARE INFORMATION GATEWAY - Supporting and Preserving Families.
Here is what they "tell you." "All families can benefit from information, guidance, and help in connecting with resources as they meet the challenges of parenthood and family life. Find resources and information on family support and family preservation services."
CHILD WELFARE INFORMATION GATEWAY - Achieving & Maintaining Permanency - "Resources to support professionals in ensuring a legally permanent, nurturing family for every child in out-of-home care through family reunification, adoption from foster care, guardianship, and permanent placements with relatives. Includes information on legal and court issues, preparing and supporting children and youth, interjurisdictional placements, postpermanency services, and special issues in achieving permanency for older youth, children from minority groups, and children with disabilities."
CHILD WELFARE INFORMATION GATEWAY - Responding to Child Abuse/Neglect
"Resources to help protect children's safety, support families, and reduce the risk of future harm. Includes information on reporting suspected child abuse and neglect; intake, investigation, and assessment of reports; case management; and responding to child fatalities and families affected by child neglect, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and substance abuse."
CHILD INFORMATION GATEWAY - ASSESSMENT - Resources and information on topics that are relevant across the child welfare continuum, such as practice approaches, services, statistics, laws and policies, and organizational issues
*READ THEIR MANUAL. USE IT WISELY
Most people don't know they not only have the right to read the same manuals used by Social Workers in every state, but the majority of their manuals are online for you to use without going through red tape in order to view it in their office. If YOU know what they can and cannot do, you can stop many of the abuses of process before they start. From the moment you learn of their involvement in your life or that of a family member or friend, you should READ THE MANUAL. A list of federal policy, along with individual state policies and guidelines can be obtained from the following site.
CHILD WELFARE INFORMATION GATEWAY - STATE STATUTES - Search State statutes for issues related to child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and adoption. Results will provide summaries of State statutes (and full text of laws, in some cases).
SPECIAL NOTE: *I am in process of obtaining a comprehensive list for each state's/territory's policy manuals. Some states even have their forms online, so you can peruse the type of information they are gathering and how it is used. This particular task is a tremendous undertaking and will take a few days but rest assured these links will be posted as soon as humanly possible. IF you have a link for your state that is "current" please email the Admin at SaveOurDestiny.com.