[LLLmom]

In my state, foster parents can not sign anything that is labeled: "Parent/Guardian"

We have a medically fragile infant. He was in the hospital for a long stay. Tuesday he was set to be discharged. Upon reading the discharge papers, the hospital wanted us to sign a form saying we read the discharge summary and we would take him to the doctor and give him the medicines. The line to sign was labeled "Parent/Guardian" so we could not sign. It was after hours, so we paged the after hours number, the social worker told us we couldn't sign. DCYF had sent over a form saying our fs could be released. The hospital social worker was not comfortable with discharging with that form only. Thus, we had to go home without baby. (Over an hour away, after trying to discharge for 4 hours with lots of bumps in the process -wrong forms, getting another dept to sign off, ect) We were upset - but the hospital said to come back the next day.

The next day: Our social worker called, sent in a new form for discharge and we went over the paperwork with the nurse. The nurse told us: "Your social worker said you can sign this." The page for signature had no "parent/guardian" under the signature line. We signed. We brought home the baby. We gave him all his meds and set up countless f/u appointments. We looked over the paperwork.

On the form, the page we signed there was no parent/guardian signature, but on the next page, they attached another sheet (we didnt see it at the hospital) it had the label "Parent/guardian Signature" - like if you printed the page for the signature the label for parent/guardian got cut off to the next page. So really we did sign as "parent/guardian" but the hospital did not show us that we were doing so.

We feel really tricked by the hospital. We are scared that we can get in trouble with the state because we signed a form that we were not supposed to sign. Its been drilled into our heads to NEVER sign parent/guardian forms.

I want to call our f/s caseworker and explain everything...but on the other hand, he might not see it. The paperwork I believe was faxed to him.

What should we do?

This is the last thing we want to worry about - we have a very fragile baby who requires a ton of care. I am constantly needing parent/guardian signatures for his treatment and its such a pain trying to arrange everything ahead of time. <sigh>

[carlychan]

If this is the law in your state why doesn't the hospital have a special form for foster parents. There would be countless foster children in and out of hospitals and doctors offices. It doesn't make any sense that they don't know what to do.

[arbuckle17]

the reason you arn't supposed to is because you can be held accountable for charges if you sign. We don't sign anything that lists parent or guardian either but there are three ways we have dealt with this in the past.

1) Tell the hospital they can fax the forms to the DCFS and your SW will fax the signed pappers back the following buisness day.

2) you can sign "The State of ...." (sometimes they will take this as long as the SW signs the day after.

3) If you are in a bind call your DCFS on call and tell them a fax is comming in that you need a sw to sign.

Leagally you are not accountable for documents you were tricked into signing, or did not understand. So you shouldn't have any fears.

[CaddoRose]

It sounds like the hospital was trying to get a signature for the release and because of their rules had to have a parent/guardian signature, and the state could not provide them with a suitable alternative. The hospital was covering their backside in case of a legal issue later. The state should have been prepared for this, as someone else noted, foster kids go to hospital or dr just like everyone else. The state should have a readily available form either signed by the CW or you that legally replaces the hospital form.

I'm so sorry the state has put you in such a crazy position. Here, we can sign anything as parent because we are the designated guardian through the state. We have the legal right to control almost everything about our foster kids including general medical and although the parents can be at the hospital for a surgery, they are not needed for consent. The state consents for the children since they have custody.

You should let the CW know what the hospital did and that at the time you signed, the next page was not on there. Maybe they can give you copies of the correct form to have when you need them the next time.

[LLLmom]

Thank you. I should add - the hospital was in a different state than ours - in the state that the hosp is located - foster kids of that state are under the guardianship of the state thus the signature problem is eliminated.

We just feel kinda like idiots. Its just one less thing we want to deal with...

[joyfulmother]

This is good protection for fps. We really don't have say anyway in what medical care is given so why should we take the responsibility for it? I have never and will never sign for shots either. If something goes wrong then it is not my responsibility. I like it that way.

[potentialsinglemom]

I believe the only thing we can not sign in my state is surgery and/or general anethesia, otherwise, we have control of the medical care of our children.

That just floors my sister, because when she was fostering her two sons, this was the process to TAKE the child to the dr:

1) child gets sick, call the cw
2) leave a message on the cw's voice mail
3) cw calls back you, tell him/her child's symptom(s)
4) cw might come to home to see if child is sick enough to go to the dr and the CW will make the appointment.
5) YOU take the child to the dr and describe symptoms, but the doctor does not tell you ANYTHING. He will prescribe meds thru the pharmacy and call in the lab tests.
6) YOU have to call the CW to get the Dr's verdict on what is wrong with child or test result AND cw are not obligated to tell you.

Here we get medicaid cards monthly. Where she fostered they got nothing. If you take the child to the emergency room (unless the child is bleeding or stopped breathing) or to a Dr without cw approval, then YOU foot the bill.

[greenmama]

Originally Posted by potentialsinglemom

I believe the only thing we can not sign in my state is surgery and/or general anethesia, otherwise, we have control of the medical care of our children.

That just floors my sister, because when she was fostering her two sons, this was the process to TAKE the child to the dr:

1) child gets sick, call the cw
2) leave a message on the cw's voice mail
3) cw calls back you, tell him/her child's symptom(s)
4) cw might come to home to see if child is sick enough to go to the dr and the CW will make the appointment.
5) YOU take the child to the dr and describe symptoms, but the doctor does not tell you ANYTHING. He will prescribe meds thru the pharmacy and call in the lab tests.
6) YOU have to call the CW to get the Dr's verdict on what is wrong with child or test result AND cw are not obligated to tell you.

Here we get medicaid cards monthly. Where she fostered they got nothing. If you take the child to the emergency room (unless the child is bleeding or stopped breathing) or to a Dr without cw approval, then YOU foot the bill.

I don't think FP should be able to make medical decisions, but THAT procedure is ridiculous!!

[arbuckle17]

Originally Posted by LLLmom

Thank you. I should add - the hospital was in a different state than ours - in the state that the hosp is located - foster kids of that state are under the guardianship of the state thus the signature problem is eliminated.

We just feel kinda like idiots. Its just one less thing we want to deal with...

did you get a travel letter? When we leave the county we have to have sw permission and she writes a letter stating that we have permission to autorize everything.

We do in our state in gen but the sw is considered the guardian, again mostly because there have been cases where the foster parents have been charged for medical poceedures when they signed the wrong thing.

[arbuckle17]

Originally Posted by potentialsinglemom

I believe the only thing we can not sign in my state is surgery and/or general anethesia, otherwise, we have control of the medical care of our children.

That just floors my sister, because when she was fostering her two sons, this was the process to TAKE the child to the dr:

1) child gets sick, call the cw
2) leave a message on the cw's voice mail
3) cw calls back you, tell him/her child's symptom(s)
4) cw might come to home to see if child is sick enough to go to the dr and the CW will make the appointment.
5) YOU take the child to the dr and describe symptoms, but the doctor does not tell you ANYTHING. He will prescribe meds thru the pharmacy and call in the lab tests.
6) YOU have to call the CW to get the Dr's verdict on what is wrong with child or test result AND cw are not obligated to tell you.

Here we get medicaid cards monthly. Where she fostered they got nothing. If you take the child to the emergency room (unless the child is bleeding or stopped breathing) or to a Dr without cw approval, then YOU foot the bill.

I agree with Green in regards to this procedure. This is an example of making a foster parents life way harder than it needs to just to juggle red tape. I see no relevance in this procedure if the child is staying with me they have a responsibility to tell me the diagnosis and what he is on and what the side effects of the meds are.

If they don't do that much they put other children in our house at risk as well as the child on the meds at risk because i can't identify negative side effects.