The Foster Care Services Unit provides an array of services designed to ensure the safety and wellbeing for youth who are in the legal and physical custody of the Department of Social Services.
Foster Care
This service is for youth who come through CPS into the legal custody of DSS. Foster Care is temporary care for children who have the ultimate goal of returning home to their birth parents or other relatives. The Foster Care social workers assess, plan and coordinate services to fulfill a mutually established out-of-home service agreement that is designed to help a child reunify with the parents. If this becomes unobtainable, then other permanency plans are considered. Foster Care social workers will supervise the overall care of the child and manage the case plan (working toward the permanency plan goals) including:
- conducting home and community visits
- presenting in court
- developing service agreements
- locating, coordinating, and monitoring appropriate adjunct services
- facilitating Child and Family Team meetings collaborating with various medical and mental health professionals, etc.
LINKS
This program serves our foster care youth from age 13 to 21. The purpose of this work with our adolescents is to help ensure that they have a well-connected, self-sufficient life. To do so, we help enhance their Independent Living readiness through assessment, life skills training (including local and state-wide training, empowerment, and leadership events), educational assistance, and general case management and support. The LINKS Coordinator also works with those youth over age 18 who age-out of the foster care system and are in need of a more independent living arrangement.
Foster Parent Training and Licensing
Foster parents play a vital role in understanding the needs of the children during this difficult time of being out of their parents’ custody; their help, intervention, and nurturing can make all the difference to a child in need. Granville County DSS recruits, trains and licenses foster parents to serve our children in legal custody of DSS. Foster Parent Training usually occurs once each year usually beginning in the early spring. The licensing is an extensive process, sometimes taking at least six months to complete, due to the complexities of families and the requirements needing to be met.
For more information about Child Placement Services, and about Adoptions and Foster Parenting, visit https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/social-services/child-welfare-services
How to apply to be a Foster Parent:
Contact Lama Elkhatib at 919-693-1511
Granville County Department of Social Services
410 West Spring Street, Oxford NC, 27565
Adoptions
A child becomes legally cleared for adoption once parental rights are terminated or relinquished. The Adoptions Specialist will also assist with independent adoptions. There is a $200 fee for completing a home study report, as well as attorney fees, for independent adoptions.