Emergencies happen from time to time. Foster parents often ask what they should report and when:
Please report immediately:
- Anything you feel is an emergency
- Any injury or accident, however minor it seems, should be reported to your agency social worker, immediately
- Any serious injury or accident requiring hospitalization
- Any visit to a doctor, even routine care
- Death of a child
- Poisoning of a child
- Fire or explosion in your home
- Any situation rendering your home unsafe
- Any suspected child abuse where there are currently children in the suspected person’s home. If it is a report regarding a past incident, and there are no children currently in that person’s care, the report can wait until the next business day.
- Any suicidal gesture, talk, act, or attempt
- Any suspected or actual runaway. Any unauthorized absence exceeding two hours should be considered a runaway.
- Any police involvement
- Any physical restraint.
- Late returning from a scheduled family visitation in excess of two (2) hours.
- Any injury or illness requiring an emergency room visit. Be prepared to give us the name of the treating physician. Don’t hesitate to call after hours if you feel an injury should be reported immediately
- Any suspected child abuse involving a past situation where there are no children currently in danger
- Any unauthorized contact by anyone (excluding friends)
- Any significant change in the child’s behavior