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Foster Care and Cruising?


SJSchell
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As foster parents we have been assured by the child's case manager and social worker that all the permissions for traveling with a foster child will come through and to go ahead and plan a cruise.

 

Has anyone traveled with foster children? What types of additional paperwork and permissions did you find you needed? Any advice?

 

I know each state has different foster care rules.

 

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Go to the upper right where it says Search Thread and type in Foster child. There are a number of threads, some pretty old, but it's a place to start. Also try the same search on the board here for the cruise line you are considering. EM

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If at all possible, I would email - not call - your cruise line to specifically ask this question. Not every cruise line monitors their email, and some of those that do are very slow. But if possible, I'd want something in writing that states exactly what I need to do, and print that out and bring it to embarkation so you don't wind up in an argument with them over what you were told on the phone (since the phone reps are often wrong). Best of luck to you and I hope you have a wonderful cruise. This is a very special opportunity you are giving your foster child, and I'm so glad they will experience this.

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I agree with you that each state probably has slightly different rules, but I think that the basics of what the cruise line could request are probably as follows:

 

1. Approval letter from the judge to say that the child is a ward of the court, and that that judge is giving permission for the child to travel out of the country on XX cruise from Date X to Date Y with (Your Name).

2. Original birth certificate for the child. The case worker will need to request #1 and #2. Copies probably won't suffice for the cruise line.

3. Not sure if the closed-loop "birth certificate only" rule could be applied, or if you would need to then obtain a passport, but in such a case you will need #1 and #2 to be submitted with the passport application if the child is still a foster child under jurisdiction of the court. I suspect you could have questions from the passport office and so it might be best to make the application there, and not at the post office. I had issues at the post office trying to get them to submit on behalf of my son (he was adopted already but we did not have an SSN for him yet), and I had to phone the passport office (Dept of State), then go back in the post office, and tell them Dept of State said "SUBMIT, do not worry about SSN in this case ...".

 

If the child is not TPR'ed yet, then will the trip "interfere" with bio-parents approved visitation schedule? This is the quickest way to a complaint from the bio-parents to the judge, and you probably are aware that the child may tell bio-parents "I'm going on a cruise ..." even before you have packed your bags.

 

I adopted from foster care and while my child was still fost-adopt status - i.e. from placement till TPR, till adoption - we decided that it would be too complex to try this so we did travel/holidays within the US. As soon as he was adopted, he had birth certificate within 1 month and passport within 3 weeks. Then he could travel anywhere, anytime, and we have been out of the country 4 times within 2 years now that he is a passport "owner" and he is oh-so proud of his passport.

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Thank you both for your advice. I'm still learning the lingo. What do you mean by TPR is that termination of parental rights?

 

This first trip shouldn't interfere with visits (overnight repositioning cruise) but if all goes well future trips could. Social worker assures us that judges typically side with the vacationing family so child doesn't have to go to respite care.

 

Then again they might see this one day cruise as not worth the paperwork. Yet, our states prudent parenting law allows foster children to travel to Vancouver, British Columbia but they would still need a passport for that. Hopefully we can get approval for the passport...first step.

 

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TWhat do you mean by TPR is that termination of parental rights?

 

This first trip shouldn't interfere with visits (overnight repositioning cruise) but if all goes well future trips could. Social worker assures us that judges typically side with the vacationing family so child doesn't have to go to respite care.

 

Then again they might see this one day cruise as not worth the paperwork. Yet, our states prudent parenting law allows foster children to travel to Vancouver, British Columbia but they would still need a passport for that. Hopefully we can get approval for the passport...first step.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

 

Correct, TPR does mean Termination of Parental Rights. Good luck and happy travels.

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  • 1 month later...

Good luck. We are in California, and were told that we could not take our foster child out of the country. We were able to go out of state with him, but that required a hearing before a judge and his approval. We have since adopted our son, and now we can cruise again.

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Good luck. We are in California, and were told that we could not take our foster child out of the country. We were able to go out of state with him, but that required a hearing before a judge and his approval. We have since adopted our son, and now we can cruise again.
Personal comment and thought:

 

Congratulations to both you and your son. It's wonderful seeing kids in foster care become adopted and more to see foster parents step up to the plate and make the move. The world is so far better off for your efforts.

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  • 1 month later...

In my state, if parental rights have not been terminated yet, the parents need to give their consent for travel anywhere outside our home state. Then if they consent, the judge would have to approve a travel authorization. If rights have already been terminated, then they just need the judges consent. Even in my case where I am the maternal grandmother of the child. Early in our case I could not take him to Branson for a weekend because mom (my daughter) said no :mad: I did not cruise with my grandson before adoption, but do know others who have done it and they had no issues since the agency provided them with everything the cruise line normally needs, plus the document from the judge stating that the child is in the state's care, and that permission has been granted for them to travel with the foster family. Now that I have legally adopted little man-we have a cruise planned for 2019:):)

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  • 4 weeks later...
As foster parents we have been assured by the child's case manager and social worker that all the permissions for traveling with a foster child will come through and to go ahead and plan a cruise.

 

Has anyone traveled with foster children? What types of additional paperwork and permissions did you find you needed? Any advice?

 

I know each state has different foster care rules.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

 

Hi There, we are foster parents in Alaska and have cruised with our foster children before. We have never been asked for proof that we can travel with any foster children from airlines or cruiselines, but I always have it with me. I carry the letter stating that we have permission from the state to travel on such and such dates to such and such place. And, I always have the document giving me permission to give them medical care. I take photos of all documents so that I have them in my phone, and email them to myself just in case. In Alaska, as long as the case manager gives you permission to go, you can go. If the parents fight it, it can go to court, but I have never experienced that.

 

Our biggest issue was hounding the case manager for the passport. I'd say start the process as early as you can. Ours got hung up on some expired paperwork that our Case Manager overlooked. Start early and bug your CM often! :)

 

Have fun - for some of these kids, it could be a once in a lifetime family vacation!

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  • 3 weeks later...

In Virginia we were unable to take the child with us, we would have to have the child stay with another family while we traveled. I’m sure state guidelines will dictate this, I assume the child’s parents could have a say since they may be getting regular visitation.

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