Foster caregivers (foster parents, relatives, fictive kin, and pre-adoptive parents) play a critical role in the life of the child in Child in Need of Care (CINC) cases. Having the foster caregiver voice heard helps ensure the child’s needs are fully represented in the case. There are resources available in Louisiana which help to support our foster caregivers.
Pursuant to the Louisiana Children’s Code, foster caregivers have a legal right to receive notice from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) of any CINC hearing involving a child in their care and to attend and be heard at CINC hearings. The Revised Statutes also contain a foster parent bill of rights.
At this CIP Café, you will hear lived experience from a former foster parent who is now the state Foster Care Ambassador. She will explain the resources and the importance of the role of the foster caregiver. In addition, our speakers will explain the right to be heard at hearings and Foster Caregiver Progress Form, which is a way for foster caregivers to provide information to the court.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about resources available to foster caregivers.
- Understand the role of foster caregivers and their right to be heard at Child in Need of Care hearings.
- Become familiar with the Foster Caregiver Progress Form and process.
Speakers
Margie Nielsen, Foster Care Ambassador, Louisiana Foster Care Support Organization
Margie Nielsen is the Foster Care Ambassador for the Louisiana Foster Care Support Organization and the Director of the Louisiana Foster Caregiver Mentor Program. She began her advocacy when she and her husband became foster parents for a teen in care through youth ministry in their church. Margie is also the Founding Director of Royal Family Kids Camp of Northeast Louisiana, an all-volunteer organization that ministers to children in foster care ages 6-12 through a TBRI-based curriculum in a week-long overnight camp with more than 50 volunteers.
LaTrese LeCour, Manager Foster Care Unit, Louisiana DCFS
LaTrese LeCour manages the Foster Care Unit at the Department of Child and Family Services of Louisiana. She maintains the role of tribal liaison, leader of normalcy in foster care, and Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI). LaTrese has a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in counseling psychology. She began as an investigator, supervisor, and Child Welfare Manager of Lafourche and Assumption Parishes and a Child Welfare Consultant.
Michelle Gros, JD, Chief Operating Officer, Pelican Center for Children and Families
Michelle Gros assists in implementing the Louisiana Court Improvement Program on behalf of the Louisiana Supreme Court. She is passionate about improving the foster care system and has personal experience as a foster parent and adoptive parent. Michelle and her husband, Rob, were recognized by the Congressional Coalition of Adoption Institute as a 2018 Angels in Adoption Honoree. She graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Family, Child, and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Human Services Management and a minor in Sociology from Louisiana State University; 2005 with a Masters in Christian Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; and, 2018 with a Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center.
