Reasonable Parent Standards

In order to provide a sense of normalcy for children and youth in out-of-home care, the “Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard” should be applied. This standard is characterized by careful and sensible parental decisions that maintain the health, safety, and best interests of a child while at the same time encouraging the emotional and developmental growth of the child. The caregiver shall use this standard when determining whether to allow a child in foster care, under the responsibility of the State, to participate in extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities.

Here is what the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard does for caregivers, It…
• Empowers foster caregivers to make routine, typical parenting decisions without
having to go through administrative approvals
• Eliminates barriers to youth participating in extracurricular, social enrichment, cultural, and social activities
• And it ensures that the child welfare system keeps safety paramount while not unnecessarily sacrificing normalcy for children and youth