Pending New York Legislation Would Increase Scrutiny of ‘Hidden Foster Care’

“Hidden” or “shadow’’ foster care: informal arrangements in which children are diverted from official foster care systems and instead placed in homes of relatives or friends following CPS investigations. Proponents of these custody arrangements say they help keep children connected to family and communities. But critics of hidden foster care say the absence of due process in these arrangements hurts parents, children and caregivers.”