(a) Foster parents and kinship parents play an integral, indispensable, and vital role in the state’s effort to care for children displaced from their homes, and such parents and persons have the following rights:
(1) The right to be treated professionally and ethically as the primary provider of foster or kinship care in accordance with the terms of the agreement between the foster or kinship parent and the child placing agency and the department;
(2) The right to maintain the parent’s or parents’ own family values and beliefs, so long as the values and beliefs of the child are not infringed upon;
(3) The right to receive training, as provided in the agreement with the child placing agency and the department at appropriate intervals;
(4) The right to have an emergency contact 24 hours per day, seven days per week, as set forth in the agreement between the foster or kinship parent and the child placing agency and the department;
(5) The right, prior to the placement of a child, to be notified by the department and the child placing agency of any known issues relative to the child that may jeopardize the health and safety of the foster or kinship family or the child, or alter the manner in which foster or kinship care should be administered;
(6) The right to receive from the department and the child placing agency, prior to placement of a child, all known information relating to the child’s behavior, family background, health, history, or special needs and to receive updates relevant to the care of the child as information becomes available;
(7) The right to be provided with a written copy of the individual treatment and service plan concerning the child in the foster or kinship parent’s home and to discuss such plan with the case manager, and to receive reasonable notice of any changes to that plan, including timely notice of the need to remove a child from the foster or kinship home and the reasons for the removal;
(8) The right to timely and reasonable notice of the department’s case planning and decision-making process regarding the child, as provided in §49-4-101et seq.of this code, and the right to participate in such process, in the discretion of the court;
(9) The right to communicate with professionals who work with the child, including, but not limited to, therapists, physicians, and teachers, as permitted by the case plan or the court;
(10) The right to be notified, in advance, by the department or the court, of any hearing or review where the case plan or permanency of the child is an issue, including initial and periodic reviews held by the court and permanency plan hearings:Provided,That the right of a foster or kinship parent to attend any hearing is in the discretion of the court;
(11) The right to be provided information regarding the final outcome of an investigation of complaints concerning the operation of a foster or kinship home and to receive an explanation of a corrective action plan or policy violation relating to foster or kinship parents;
(12) The right to be provided with information on how to contact the foster care ombudsman, and to contact the foster care ombudsman’s office, regarding alleged violations of rights, to speak to representatives of these offices confidentially, and to be free from threats, retaliation, or punishment for making complaints;
(13) The right to write a letter or submit a report to the court regarding a violation of the rights provided in this section or §49-2-126 of this code, or any concerns over the conduct or performance of the guardian ad litem, a representative of the department, or a representative of the child placing agency, which the court may act upon as it deems in its discretion to be appropriate:Provided,That the court may require the clerk to send copies of a letter or report, submitted to the court pursuant to this subdivision, to the parties in the case prior to the court’s review or consideration of such communications;
(14) The right to be considered, where appropriate and consistent with the best interests of the child, as a permanent parent or parents for a child who is available for adoption or legal guardianship;
(15) The right to move to intervene in the pending case, without fear of retaliation, once parental rights have been terminated; and
(16) The right to receive, from the department and the child placing agency, a written copy of the rights set forth in this section and a copy of the contract between the department and the child placing agency.
(b) The rights provided in this section do not create an independent cause of action. Violations of these rights may be reported to and investigated by the foster care ombudsman. On or before December 15, 2021 and on or before December 15 of every year thereafter, the foster care ombudsman shall submit a written summary of the number and nature of reports received, and investigations conducted in response to said reports, to the Joint Standing Committee on Government and Finance, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, and the Governor:Provided,That the summary required by this section may not include any personally identifying information of a person named in a report or a person submitting a report to the ombudsman.