If a child is removed from the home, do you get informed?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Community Health, School Health.

I was just sitting at the front desk covering the phones for 10 minutes and got a call from a social worker. She informed me that she was assigned to student X, a Kindergartener, who had been removed from the home on an emergency basis on 1/6. She was calling to follow-up on her and see how she was doing?! I had NO idea this even happened. I asked her who her point of contact was here at school and she gave me the principal's name, so I took a message and said the principal would call her back. She ended the conversation with "Oh, and by the way, she STILL has lead poisining"!?!

So I went and looked into her chart and there is a copy of a letter sent indicating an emergency removal from her home. I'm feeling like as the nurse, I should have been informed of this, especially because I occasionally cover the desk and answer phones and dismiss students. I would have had NO idea she wasn't allowed to leave with anyone but the social worker had I been covering the desk. And the lead poisoning is a while other issue. I have no documentation of that anywhere...

So my question is, for any of you who have had a student removed from the home where you weren't the one making the complaint, were you made aware at all? I plan on talking to the principal about everything but am wondering what happens in most cases.

Thanks

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Specializes in School.

I don't recall ever been told or seen it in the computer on a student's confidential information. Even on the one I did report that the student was removed, I did not get a call. The student himself came in and told me.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

I seldom get informed about that stuff. Just this past week I called a mom about her child. She told me, "I'd go pick her up but I'm not allowed to come to the school or have contact with her." I've tried to change it over the years but it never does change. Now, have a kid start seizing in the library and all of a sudden it's important to contact me.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Community Health, School Health.
I seldom get informed about that stuff. Just this past week I called a mom about her child. She told me, "I'd go pick her up but I'm not allowed to come to the school or have contact with her." I've tried to change it over the years but it never does change. Now, have a kid start seizing in the library and all of a sudden it's important to contact me.

This is what bothers me. It makes me feel stupid if I were to call mom to tell her if the kid were to come see me because she is sick. Can you imagine if she had been sick and I not only called Mom, but asked her to come get her? Sometimes the kids wait in my office and I go grab their stuff. I can't even imagine what would have happened...

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Specializes in School Nursing.

This hasn't happened to me yet but I did make my first CPS report before Christmas and received a call last week from the county social worker letting me know they weren't investigating. I would hope they would call me if they had decided to investigate.

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Specializes in School nursing.

I guess I'm lucky. Both of my principals here loop me into these things and even if they forget, my office managers let me know.

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Specializes in School nurse.

I have great support from admin so generally I'm aware. Being on the child study and I&RS teams helps as well since many of the kids involved with child services have other issues.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

My guidance team is really good about keeping me in that loop. We maintain a confidentail document and update it on the computer contact list

On the other flip on the coin, we almost never know when things list restraining orders have been dropped so we have run into having a person pick up a child and not wanting to release that child because our last communication said not to.

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I've found that if I don't make the report, I don't get an update from anyone here at school. It's very frustrating because it's on you if you call the wrong person and can you imagine how much trouble you would be in for releasing a child to the wrong person? The way our PowerSchool is set up, only myself and district office can modify the information, I just checked on the 2 that have been removed from the home this year and no one has changed the info. So it appears that you should call mom, then emergency contact 1, but neither of those people are allowed contact with the child-going to call district office now...

The nurse is, without a doubt, a need to know person! I don't need all the details, but I do need to know who to contact in case of an emergency and if there is someone who is NOT allowed to pick the child up from school!

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Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.

I'm forever out of the loop. Just today I let a HS kid get permission from mom to go home sick, only to be informed by the office we had to get permission from his Home Detention Monitor. Well If I had known he was on that program, I would have called them! Then there are the parent separations/divorces I never hear about, kids living with different family members than what is listed and everyone acting like its common knowledge "well you can't call mom any more, he lives with Aunt Jo". Ugh. I have asked to be more involved - it doesn't get me anywhere.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Community Health, School Health.
I've found that if I don't make the report, I don't get an update from anyone here at school. It's very frustrating because it's on you if you call the wrong person and can you imagine how much trouble you would be in for releasing a child to the wrong person? The way our PowerSchool is set up, only myself and district office can modify the information, I just checked on the 2 that have been removed from the home this year and no one has changed the info. So it appears that you should call mom, then emergency contact 1, but neither of those people are allowed contact with the child-going to call district office now...

The nurse is, without a doubt, a need to know person! I don't need all the details, but I do need to know who to contact in case of an emergency and if there is someone who is NOT allowed to pick the child up from school!

Yes, all of this is exactly my reasoning, right down to Powerschool information being UTD

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I am also notified about these type of things - I am not always privy to the details tho & our computer info is updated immediately when we have issues of custody, who can remove children from school, who should be notified if kid is sick etc. We also have the ability to put alerts that pop up on the screen when you pull up a kid info - helps alot with issues of custody etc.

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