Consent of parents, legal guardians or legal custodians, or approval of a judge, must be obtained whenever children committed to DHS will not be spending one or more nights in their approved placement location. If a parent or legal guardian/custodian of a child is unavailable to consent to the vacation or overnight trip, DHS must obtain approval from a judge. If a parent or legal guardian/custodian refuses to consent to the vacation or overnight trip request, a court hearing must be held. If the case is not scheduled for a court hearing, an early court relisting must be obtained. Following the hearing, the judge will decide whether he or she will approve the request.

Requests to for a judge's approval of a vacation or overnight trip should be made several weeks before the trip, or as soon as you receive notice of the trip. That request should be submitted to the court representative scheduled to appear in the courtroom of the judge who is currently handling the child's case.

Vacation requests for children in placement must be on letterhead stationery and must include the following information:

• The name of each child, his /her birth date, juvenile number and petition number.
• The date and courtroom of the last court hearing, as well as the upcoming hearing.
• The names, address and telephone number of the foster parents, or the name of the provider agency if the child is in a group home or institutional setting.
• The trip or vacation destination. The name, address, and telephone number where the child will be staying.
• The mode of transportation. The date and time of departure, and return. If travelling by plane, include the name of the airline(s) and flight number(s).
• A statement about efforts made by DHS or the provider social worker to notify the child's parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian.
• A statement about notice to the child advocate, and the child advocate's position about the trip.
• A statement about whether the parents are represented by counsel, and if so, the position of each attorney about the trip.