There are state and federal policies and court proceedings/orders (This is the "Best Interest of the Child" standard) that determine the circumstances under which a child is removed from parent/guardian custody (foster care) or remains with her or his family(family preservation). Federal policy mandates that whenever possible, a child should remain with their parents.

You can go to the website for the Department of Child and family Services for whichever state or states you are interested in and find the criteria they use to determine the "placement plan" for a child.

Good luck!

In the U.S.as mandated by the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, It states:

Child welfare Agencies must make every attempt to keep a child with their family (Family Preservation) and must get approval from the court before out of home placement can occur. The goals of that legislation were to:

I. prevent the unnecessary separation of children from their families using family preservation services;

II. improve the quality of care and services to children and their families; and

III. ensure permanency for children through 1) reunification with birth- parents, if reunification with birth parents was not possible then 2) through adoption/placement with blood-relatives. 3) if adoption  is not possible, through legal-guardianship or 4) through long-term foster care or another permanent living arrangement.

So yes, the "case plan" whether it is for a child to stay or for a child to be removed for his or her parent's custody, is determined by public policy and child welfare court judges and hearing officers.

In my experience, it's extremely rare that substance use is a concern in isolation within a child protection context. If it is one of those rare cases, then it comes down to the parents' capacity to provide care and protection to the child. In other cases, where there are a multitude of concerns across the spectrum, it's about the level of risk to the child. 

In my practice, while we are required as statutory investigators to complete SDM tools, I prefer to detail in both case discussion meetings and reports why it is or isn't a risk. It's really a case-by-case decision and (at least in Queensland, where most of my experience is) reforms involving advice from front-line staff are reflecting this preference. 

I've attached a copy of the Communities' practice paper on engaging with families where substance use is a concern. Keep in mind that this was written in 2007 and that the reforms of approaches to child protection are underway in Queensland at the moment. 

In my experience, it's extremely rare that substance use is a concern in isolation within a child protection context. If it is one of those rare cases, then it comes down to the parents' capacity to provide care and protection to the child. In other cases, where there are a multitude of concerns across the spectrum, it's about the level of risk to the child. 

In my practice, while we are required as statutory investigators to complete SDM tools, I prefer to detail in both case discussion meetings and reports why it is or isn't a risk. It's really a case-by-case decision and (at least in Queensland, where most of my experience is) reforms involving advice from front-line staff are reflecting this preference. 

I've attached a copy of the Communities' practice paper on engaging with families where substance use is a concern. Keep in mind that this was written in 2007 and that the reforms of approaches to child protection are underway in Queensland at the moment. 

In my experience, it's extremely rare that substance use is a concern in isolation within a child protection context. If it is one of those rare cases, then it comes down to the parents' capacity to provide care and protection to the child. In other cases, where there are a multitude of concerns across the spectrum, it's about the level of risk to the child. 

In my practice, while we are required as statutory investigators to complete SDM tools, I prefer to detail in both case discussion meetings and reports why it is or isn't a risk. It's really a case-by-case decision and (at least in Queensland, where most of my experience is) reforms involving advice from front-line staff are reflecting this preference. 

I've attached a copy of the Communities' practice paper on engaging with families where substance use is a concern. Keep in mind that this was written in 2007 and that the reforms of approaches to child protection are underway in Queensland at the moment.