When a child becomes pregnant while in foster care, all efforts should be made to ensure the child receives complete prenatal care. In addition, the court of jurisdiction should be notified of the youth’s pregnancy.  The Children’s Service Worker should refer the youth to appropriate persons for information and resources needed to explore her options.  The child should make an informed decision without undue influence and/or coercion by the Division, placement provider or parents. If the child elects to give birth and care for the infant, every effort must be made to keep the child and infant together.  The Worker must refer the child and infant to the Eligibility Specialist, utilizing form CS-IV-E/FFP1.  The Worker shall carefully document the child’s progress and any contact regarding the health of the child and infant in the case record.  See later in this chapter for Children of Youth in Alternative Care (CYAC) information.

Related Practice Points and Memos:

7-9-19 – PP19 CM-01 – Timely Informed Consent – Inpatient Hospitalizations and Medication Management Checkups

7-26-19 – CD19-47 – Informed Consent for Psychotropic Medication (Form CD-275)

10-11-19 – DK19-04 – Immediate Implementation of Best Practices Regarding Behavioral Health Care and Medical Records

4-9-20 – PP20-CM-03 – Mandatory Psychotropic Medication Reviews

7-23-20 CD20-34 –Introduction to Child Welfare Manual policy updates to align with best practices and comply with Joint Settlement Agreement requirements.