I thought I'd throw together a list for all of my licensing and newly licensed friends. If you see some I've forgotten please post them in the comments.
Resource Parent: That's you! It's just the technical name for a foster parent.
Office of Licensing, Certification and Renewals (OLCR): This is the state agency that approves your license, modifies it if necessary and approves your yearly renewal.
Emergency Receiving List (ERL): The list you go on when you are ready to take a placement.
Placement Agency: The agency you are licensed with. Typically, they act as a go-between for the foster parent and the case worker to get a child placed. They also offer support for the foster family and will check in (usually monthly) with the foster family once they have a placement.
Licensing Worker (LW): The person assigned to you by your agency.
Child Protective Services (CPS): The state agency that removes children and offers services to try to reunify families.
Case Worker (CW): The CPS worker that is assigned to your childs' case.
Case Aide: Assistance to the CW. They are usually the ones that supervise visits between the child(ren) and the birth parents.
Parent Aide: Used in cases where the CW believes the parents need more intervention than a case aide can provide. Typically, the birth parents meet with and report to the parent aide in addition to the CW and the parent aide supervises visits while they are on the case.
Case Plan: The plan for the child(ren). It always begins as reunification. After a period of time it will change to a concurrent plan if the parents have not made adequate progress. A concurrent plan means the state should start preparing a back-up plan in case the child goes to severance. Severance is when the judge legally removes the rights of the birth family.
Dependency Hearing: The hearing where a judge makes a child(ren) legal wards of the sate. This hearing often takes place a couple of days after a child has already been removed since they are often removed in an emergency situation.
Notice of Hearings: As a foster parent you have a legal right to attend the hearings. If you cannot attend in person you can also call in and listen to the hearing.
Department of Health Services (DHS): They will help you get medical care and therapy services.
Department of Developmental Disabilities (DDD): The department under the umbrella of DHS that provides therapies.
Foster Care Review Board (FCRB): A group of volunteers from the community that review a case to make sure that children are getting services they need and to hold CPS accountable in making sure the case plan is moving forward. The meetings are held every 6 months and is one of the best ways for foster parents to have their voice heard. You have the option to call into these meetings as well. The FCRB will send their recommendation to the judge (which you will get a copy of a couple of weeks after the FCRB).
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA): A volunteer that is assigned specifically to your case. With older children they will typically spend time with the child and they make recommendations to the court as to what they believe is in the child's best interest. Not all cases have CASA's. They are assigned by a judge but can be requested by the foster parent.
Guardian at Litem (GAL): The lawyer assigned to your child. They are the children's voice in the court room. It is their job to advocate for what's in the child's best interest.
Individual Education Plan (IEP): For kiddos who need some extra assistance in school.
Therapeutic Foster Home (aka DDD certified): Foster parents who have had extra training (and usually experience as a foster parent) who take in kids that have higher medical or behavioral needs.
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