The Foster Parent Bill of Rights, annotated.

The right to be treated by DFCS and other partners "with dignity, respect, and trust as a primary provider of foster care and a member of the professional team caring for foster children."

Tuesday afternoon: When a meeting about the child in your home gets scheduled without asking whether you can be there, this is the right you name. You are not a babysitter for the state — by law, you're on the team.

The right not to be discriminated against on the basis of religion, race, color, creed, gender, marital status, national origin, age, or physical handicap.

Tuesday afternoon: Being single, being older, or using a wheelchair is not a reason to be passed over or treated differently as a foster parent.

The right to continue with your own family values and beliefs, "so long as the values and beliefs of the foster child and the birth family are not infringed upon," with consideration for the needs of children who have experienced trauma and separation — including the right to exercise parental authority within DFCS policy and Georgia law.

Tuesday afternoon: Your household stays your household — your routines, your traditions. The limit runs the other way too: you can't require the child to adopt your beliefs. Sunday dinner, yes; mandatory conversion, no.

The right to receive standardized pre-service training and appropriate ongoing training at appropriate intervals — including being apprised of changes in DFCS policies, procedures, and applicable law.

Tuesday afternoon: Training isn't only an obligation you owe the state — it's something the state owes you. If a policy changed and nobody told you until you were on the wrong side of it, this right is your answer.

The right to be apprised of information, laws, and guidelines on the obligations and opportunities of foster parenting, and to be kept informed of changes "in a timely manner and at least annually."

Tuesday afternoon: "At least annually" is a floor written into law. A once-a-year rules update from your placing agency is the minimum, not a favor.

The right to receive timely financial reimbursement according to your agreement with the placing agency, and to be notified of any costs or expenses you may be eligible to have reimbursed.

Tuesday afternoon: A chronically late per diem is a rights issue, not just an annoyance — and you're entitled to be told what's reimbursable up front, not to discover it by accident in month eight. More on the money side in our per diem guide.

The right to receive information on how to reach agency personnel 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Tuesday afternoon: There should be an after-hours number on your fridge. If you don't have one, ask for it today — it's owed to you, not a perk.

The right, prior to placement, to be notified of "any issues relative to the child that may jeopardize the health and safety of the foster family or the child or alter the manner in which foster care should be administered."

Tuesday afternoon: The 9 p.m. placement call is still a placement decision. You're entitled to know safety-relevant history — before you say yes, not after the child is asleep in your guest room.

The right to discuss information regarding the child with the placing agency prior to placement, with DFCS providing information as it becomes available, as allowable under law.

Tuesday afternoon: You can ask questions before agreeing — school situation, medical needs, sibling contact — and asking is normal, not difficult.

The right to refuse a placement, or to request, upon reasonable notice, the removal of a child from your home — "without fear of reprisal or any adverse affect on being assigned any future foster or adoptive placements."

Tuesday afternoon: "No" is allowed, and "this isn't working" is allowed. Neither can legally be held against you when the next placement call goes out. In current DFCS policy, a requested placement change generally proceeds 14 calendar days after DFCS receives your request (PAMMS 10.3). Jul 2, 2026

The right to receive information on the number of times the child has been moved and the reasons why — and the previous foster parents' names and numbers, if they've authorized release.

Tuesday afternoon: Placement history is context you're entitled to. The last foster parent often knows the bedtime trick nobody wrote in the file — you're allowed to ask for the connection.

The right, at any time during the placement, to receive "any and all additional pertinent information relevant to the care of the child."

Tuesday afternoon: Right 8 covers before placement; this one covers everything after. New diagnosis, new court development, new safety concern — pertinent information keeps flowing to you for as long as the child is in your home.

The right to a written copy of the child's individual treatment and service plan, to discuss it with the case manager, and to reasonable notification of changes to it.

Tuesday afternoon: "It's in the case file" isn't the same as "you have a copy." You're entitled to the actual document, on paper or PDF, and to a heads-up when it changes.

The right to communicate with the other professionals who work with the child — "including, but not limited to, therapists, physicians, and teachers" — as allowable under law.

Tuesday afternoon: You can talk to the therapist. You can email the teacher. You're part of the professional team (right 1), and this right makes the phone calls explicit.

The right to participate in planning visitation with the child's biological family — with foster parents recognizing that family visitation is important to the child.

Tuesday afternoon: Visit logistics run through your family's actual life — school pickup, nap schedules, your work hours. You get a voice in the when and how, though not a veto over whether.

The right to participate in the case planning and decision-making process with DFCS regarding the child.

Tuesday afternoon: Case plan meetings and family team meetings are meetings you belong in — participation is the statutory default, not an invitation someone may extend.

The right to provide input on the child's plan of services "and to have that input considered by the department."

Tuesday afternoon: You see the child more hours a week than anyone else on the team. This right says your observations must be weighed — it doesn't guarantee they'll win, but they can't be ignored.

The right to be notified in advance, in writing, of "any hearing or review where the case plan or permanency of the child is an issue" — periodic court reviews, Judicial Citizen Review Panels, permanency hearings, and motions to extend custody.

Tuesday afternoon: Court dates for your foster child should never be a surprise you hear about afterward. Advance. Written. Those two words are in the law.

The right to be considered, where appropriate, as a preferential placement option when a child formerly placed with you reenters foster care.

Tuesday afternoon: If a child you fostered comes back into care, your home is supposed to be near the top of the list — a known bedroom beats a stranger's. If you'd want that call, tell your case manager now so it's on record.

The right to be considered, where appropriate, as the first choice as a permanent parent for a child who, "after 12 months of placement in the foster home, is released for adoption or permanent foster care."

Tuesday afternoon: If you've been the child's home for a year and the case turns toward adoption, the law says look at you first. "Where appropriate" is real hedging — but so is "first choice."

The right to a fair and timely investigation of complaints concerning the operation of your foster home.

Tuesday afternoon: Complaints happen to good homes. What you're owed is process — fair, and on a clock, not an open-ended cloud over your family.

The right to an explanation of a corrective action plan or policy violation relating to foster parents.

Tuesday afternoon: If you're written up, you're entitled to understand exactly what for. "You violated policy" without the which-policy-and-how is itself a violation of this right.

The right to have an advocate present at all portions of an abuse or neglect investigation at which the accused foster parent is present. DFCS permits trained volunteers from the Adoptive and Foster Parent Association of Georgia (AFPAG) and the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children to serve as advocates, and "all communication received by the advocate in this capacity shall be strictly confidential."

Tuesday afternoon: If you are ever investigated, call the AFPAG advocacy line — 1-877-804-6610 — before your first interview, not after. A trained advocate in the room is your statutory right, and what you tell them stays confidential. Jul 2, 2026