West Virginia Code 49-9-103 – Access to foster care children
(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman shall, with proper identification, have access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility for the purposes of investigations of a complaint. The Foster Care Ombudsman may enter a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility at a time appropriate to the complaint. The visit may be announced in advance or be made unannounced as appropriate to the complaint under investigation. Upon entry, the Foster Care Ombudsman shall promptly and personally advise the person in charge of his or her presence. If entry is refused by the person in charge, the Foster Care Ombudsman may apply to the magistrate court of the county in which a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility is located for a warrant authorizing entry, and the court shall issue an appropriate warrant if it finds good cause therefor.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 49-9-103
- child: means an individual who meets one of the following conditions:
(A) Is under thirteen years of age. See West Virginia Code 49-1-202
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Court: means the circuit court of the county with jurisdiction of the case or the judge in vacation unless otherwise specifically provided. See West Virginia Code 49-1-207
- Facility: means a place or residence, including personnel, structures, grounds, and equipment used for the care of a child or children on a residential or other basis for any number of hours a day in any shelter or structure maintained for that purpose. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Foster family home: means a private residence which is used for the care on a residential basis of no more than six children who are unrelated, by blood, marriage, or adoption, to any adult member of the household. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Foster parent: means a person with whom the department has placed a child and who has been certified by the department, a child placing agency, or another agent of the department to provide foster care. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Kinship parent: means a person with whom the department has placed a child to provide a kinship placement. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Parent: means an individual defined as a parent by law or on the basis of a biological relationship, marriage to a person with a biological relationship, legal adoption or other recognized grounds. See West Virginia Code 49-1-204
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(b) For activities other than those specifically related to the investigation of a complaint, the Foster Care Ombudsman, upon proper identification, shall have access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. in order to:
(1) Provide information on the Foster Care Ombudsman Program to a foster child, foster parents, or kinship parents;
(2) Inform a foster child, a foster parent, or a kinship parent of his or her rights and entitlements, and his or her corresponding obligations, under applicable federal and state laws; and
(3) Direct the foster child, the foster parents, or the kinship parents to appropriate legal resources;
(c) Access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility under this section shall be deemed to include the right to private communication with the foster child, the foster parents, or the kinship parents.
(d) A Foster Care Ombudsman who has access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility under this section shall not enter the living area of a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent without identifying himself or herself to the foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent. After identifying himself or herself, an ombudsman shall be permitted to enter the living area of a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent unless that foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent communicates on that particular occasion the foster child, foster parents’, or kinship parents’ desire to prevent the ombudsman from entering. A foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent has the right to terminate, at any time, any visit by the Foster Care Ombudsman.
(e) Access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility pursuant to this section includes the right to tour the facility unescorted.