Frustrated- hit a road block w/ fostering in IL

[RhianaW14]

Help all you licensed IL foster parents!!

I rec'd a call back from the agency and they sent out the packet. After reviewing it, I called for an application to begin the process. I emailed the lady to tell her that my 3 kids are UTD on their shots, but my 5 1/2 mo old we are using the religious exemption for her when it comes to vaccines.

The caseworker said that while they have to accept foster kids into their care and honor their religious right, being a foster parent is not a "right" and that my children need to be utd on their vaccines. WTH? So its Ok for the kids in foster care to not be UTD, but my own children have to be?

Is anyone here in IL fostering and their children aren't UTD? I am only looking for licensed IL foster homes. What do I do? I told her that I wouldn't be willing to give vaccinations to my dd to just become a foster parent.

She said she would let me know if anything changes, but good luck to me in whatever I decide to do. WTH? I don't know what to do now.

I thought religious exemption is that. An exemption. Any advice!?

[Polliwog]

You probably shouldn't have said anything and just had your doctor fill out the form.

[RhianaW14]

Well if its an issue now, I would rather know than to wait and fill out oodles of paperwork and then go through all the physicals for 4 children and myself and my dh (we have to pay per Dr visit, per person its $54 each person) and then send that in and find out that its an issue.

She said she is going to research further, and I've contacted another agency and I am waiting on a call.

Anyone else have ideas?

[Polliwog]

Right, but most forms aren't that specific. Vaccination isn't even on the forms that we have to have done. Is it on yours?

[RhianaW14]

are you in IL? When we have physicals, they hand us a DCFS paperwork w/ the vaccines listed on it and the Dr fills it out w/ the date the shots were given. If I have to turn that in, they will see right there that she doesn't have shots done. If the agency is saying shots need to be updated, they want the records proving so.

[Polliwog]

Oh, I see. Our fostering physicals aren't that specific. They basically ask if the child is healthy. No details of specific tests/vaccines are on there. We've never had to submit shot records (although my kids are up to date.)

[RhianaW14]

What state are you in? My friend in IN said that she doesn't remember having to submit proof either, but at that time, her kids vax's were utd too and she doesn't really remember.

[Sierra]

Well, on one hand she is right. As I understand it, a religious exemption exempts your children from being denied access to things to which they have a legal right, such as public education. It also would, I imagine, help protect you from legal action against you regarding "medical neglect." But anyone can be denied the ability to foster parent for any reason the state determines. I would imagine their argument here is that a foster child could come to you not UTD, and if your child was sick with a vaccine-prevetable illness, the foster child could get sick unecessarily.

I have in two states had to submit vaccination records. My kids are partially vaccinated. In my former pretty liberal county in a state in which there was a philosophical exemption, the department seemed somewhat experienced with the matter and it wasn't too big of a deal. Now I am somewhere with a religious exemption only, and it was a little more of an uphill climb, but I have been able to get approved both times. Of course in the second state I was getting approved to care for a child already in my care (who had been in my care for a couple of years), so it would have been harder for them to justify denying me on that basis alone.

My feeling is that probably the worker is not very experienced with folks coming in for licensing who have a thoughtful exemption. The regs likely require the children in the home to be UTD with vaccinations, and she is unsure what that means in a case where a child has an exemption. She might be able to mark exemption as an UTD according to exempted status, but she probably has no experience with doing that. If she doesn't get back to you, you could choose to follow it up the chain to see if you can push it.

I'd also make it very clear on no uncertain terms to her that you are absolutely willing to take any foster children to receive their scheduled vaccines, and underscore that your religious exemption doesn't preclude you following your legal obligations for a child who is not your own.

I hope someone here from IL with exemptions responds.

[RhianaW14]

thank you!

i did let her know that i can take them for vax's, she hasnt replied yet.

if a foster comes in and IS utd, then i dont see the big issue, kwim?

[Polliwog]

The problem is that you aren't likely to know much about the child when them come into care.

[RhianaW14]

So they dont have updated medical files? Isnt that something they need in order to get proper medical care? How would I know what vaccines the child needs?

[queenjane]

Originally Posted by RhianaW14

So they dont have updated medical files? Isnt that something they need in order to get proper medical care? How would I know what vaccines the child needs?

It depends on the child.

Remember, these are kids coming into care, often due to neglect. Sometimes, the child didnt even get enough to eat because the parent was off doing drugs or something....so medical care might not have been a priority.

And sometimes, the child comes into care so quickly and there are so many different individuals involved, and there may not be good communication with the parent for quite awhile....so they may not have info about medical files. I mean, no one has EVER, when giving me a foster child, said "his doctor is such and such"....

Luckily in my state they have a computer database, so when a child receives a vaccination that info is supposed to be in there for any doctor to look at. But if you dont have that....you may have to risk repeating vaccinations.

As far as the medical form (for your own kids), in my state we use a standard DHS physical form not specific to foster care, and there is a place for vaccinations to be listed (its a checklist, and the date is supposed to be written down)...there is a box for exemptions. My first doc just wrote "no vaxes due to parental choice"....i cannot imagine my foster agency looking closely enough at those forms to say "yknow your child has only received X number of vaccines" or "your baby isnt vaccinated"...they just want to be able to go "updated physical---check!" next to your name.

You may have to go higher up the chain. When i was trying to adopt (not foster) i was told i could not homeschool a child placed with me for adoption (in the six month pre-finalization period), even though someone else told me i COULD. So i had to ask the worker to find the specific regulation for me...and after speaking with her supervisor she realized she was wrong and i was right.

If the wording is just that the child (yours) must be "up to date" that could mean anything...UTD according to WHOSE schedule? Whenever i am asked "is your baby UTD" i say yes because he is. He's got every vax i think he is supposed to have!

[moondiapers]

Originally Posted by RhianaW14

So they dont have updated medical files? Isnt that something they need in order to get proper medical care? How would I know what vaccines the child needs?

They don't instantly know these things. When a child is taken they are usually put into foster care immediately, before any files have been obtained.

[RhianaW14]

Katherine, thank you.

Apparently there is 1 person I talk to?? She is in charge of the fostering dept in my city/county. On our forms it lists each vaccine and a box to write dates in. If i turned in 3 papers filled with writing for my other kids and then my dd's is blank, i am sure they will notice lol Maybe i will call my ped office and ask? maybe they will know. i emailed again and asked for an application to look over. Maybe its different than what i am thinking of. I do have a medical form here so i can look at that as well and compare.

[Polliwog]

Hmmm, that's interesting. I tried looking online in the Illinois fostering forms section. I found the medical form for the foster parents but not the one for kids. I guess you'll need to wait until you get the children's form from the licensor.

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by RhianaW14

So they dont have updated medical files? Isnt that something they need in order to get proper medical care? How would I know what vaccines the child needs?

We've had foster kids where nobody could determine when and if they were vaxed... so they were going to have to be vaxed AGAIN under the assumption that if the records were "so hard" to obtain, then they must not exist. In reality most of these kids are ALREADY on Medicaid--they just need to call the Medicaid office. (which I argued for, btw )

[queenjane]

Originally Posted by RhianaW14

Katherine, thank you.

Apparently there is 1 person I talk to?? She is in charge of the fostering dept in my city/county.

Where i live, we go through private agencies, not the county. That lady may be in charge of recruiting foster homes, but she will probably not be the person coming out to license your home and actually signing off on everything.

On our forms it lists each vaccine and a box to write dates in. If i turned in 3 papers filled with writing for my other kids and then my dd's is blank, i am sure they will notice lol Maybe i will call my ped office and ask? maybe they will know. i emailed again and asked for an application to look over. Maybe its different than what i am thinking of. I do have a medical form here so i can look at that as well and compare.

Sounds like the forms we have. Can your doc, in the area to list vaxes, just write "none due to religious exemption"? I just can't see them refusing to license you because you are exercising the religious exemption allowed by the state...your child can go to school, daycare, etc so why not foster? Esp if the doc is willing to sign off on it. But i live in a state with really liberal vax regs and its very common here to have nonvaxers so maybe that has something to do with it.

[sesa70]

I have been licenced in Illinois for about 5 years. my youngest dd is most certainly not UTD on her vaccinations and I had no issues. I changed agencies 3 times and had one renewal done. In all the physical forms I just sent it over to the dr, had him fill it out and we were fine.

IMO pointing it out is going to give you a higher likelihood of it being a problem. good luck!

[RhianaW14]

Hey Theresa- Its Rhiana from CMF

Well, I got the application and paperwork, and right in there is the DCFS vaccination forms. So if I hand my dd's in blank, I am most certain that I will not be able to be licensed. It doesn't matter if I pointed it out or not. Turning in a blank paper for my dd while the other 3 will have fully complete vaccination forms is a little obvious.

I don't know what to do now. I called another agency and they never called me back. I don't know. I am losing hope here.

You are also willing to foster special needs and we aren't, so maybe they gave some leeway because they need parents who will foster special needs?

[mamarhu]

Instead of religious exemption, could the doc write "delayed vax schedule, due to health concerns" honest, yet official sounding...