Section 210.305, RSMo, requires the Division to give preference and first consideration for foster care placement to grandparents of a child. The Children’s Division must conduct an immediate diligent search to contact, locate, and place with grandparents once the decision has been made to take custody during the first three (3) hours after placement. The statute requires staff to place with grandparents unless the decision to place with grandparents is contrary to the welfare of the child. The statute also requires staff to continue to make diligent efforts, while the child is in care, to contact, locate, and place the child with a grandparent or another relative, with first consideration given to a grandparent for placement. To make emergency placements with relatives or kin, follow the Purpose Code “X” screening process outlined in Section 6 of this manual.

The status of a grandparent shall not be affected by the death or the dissolution of the marriage of a son or daughter.

If the child is not placed with grandparents, the Children’s Service Worker must document in FACES why the child was not placed with grandparents. If no grandparents can be found, preference for placement must go to other relatives.

The law also requires the Children’s Division to identify and notify all adult grandparents and other adult relatives (including adult siblings and parents of siblings) within 30 days when a child is removed from the custody of their parent(s). Some of these relatives may include: adult siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-grandparents, great aunts, great uncles, half-brother, half-sister, and first cousins. If relatives cannot be identified or found initially, the search for grandparents and other relatives should continue while the child is in care. These efforts should be documented in FACES. If more than one grandparent requests placement, the Family Support Team will make a recommendation to the court regarding placement.

These statutes allow staff to contact grandparents and other relatives without a signed release of information form or permission from the parents. However, no protected health information about the parents should be disclosed.

Related Practice Alerts and Memos:

1-3-20 – PA20-RD-01 – Relative Resource Placement Consideration

1-15-19 – https://dssmanuals.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cd19-01.pdf

6-11-20 – CD20-23 – Update on Placement Hierarchy and Diligent Searches