How to Fill Out and File the Caregiver Information Form (JV-290)

The JV-290 Caregiver Information Form is California’s way of letting foster parents, relatives, and other caregivers put their own observations about a dependent child in front of the judge before a review or permanency hearing. You download the form, complete its ten items, and file the original plus eight copies with the juvenile court clerk at least five calendar days before the hearing, or seven days if you file by mail. The clerk distributes copies to the social worker and attorneys, so you do not have to serve anyone yourself.

Filing is optional for most individual caregivers, but the judge usually has only the social worker’s report to work from. Your form adds firsthand detail about how the child is doing day to day.

Who Can File and Which Hearings It Covers

California Rule of Court 5.534(k) gives a broad group the right to submit a JV-290: foster parents, relative caregivers, preadoptive parents, nonrelative extended family members, legal guardians, community care facilities, and foster family agencies caring for the child.¹

For individual caregivers, filing is voluntary. Community care facilities and foster family agencies have a stronger obligation under Welfare and Institutions Code 366.21(d): they must file either a report or a JV-290 before any hearing that could result in the child being returned home, adopted, or placed in a legal guardianship.²

The form is used for these hearings:

Six-month and twelve-month review hearings, which happen roughly every six months after a child is removed from the home.
Permanency hearings, when the court evaluates long-term placement.
Section 366.26 hearings, where the court selects a permanent plan: adoption, legal guardianship, or long-term foster care.
Dispositional hearings that double as permanency hearings under WIC 361.5(f).

You should not have to track the hearing schedule on your own. At least ten calendar days before each of these hearings, the assigned social worker is required to send you a blank JV-290, the instruction sheet (JV-290-INFO), and a summary of the social worker’s recommendations.¹ If that packet does not arrive, call the social worker or the court clerk’s office.

What to Gather Before You Start

Pulling a few things together first keeps your answers specific instead of vague.

Case identifiers: the child’s full legal name, date of birth, and the court case number, plus the hearing date and courthouse address.
Medical and dental records: dates of recent visits, any hospitalizations, current medications, and notes on physical or emotional development.
School information: grade level, whether the school is public or nonpublic, recent test results, and notes from teacher conferences. If the child receives special education services, find the date of the most recent IEP.
Behavioral observations: how the child is eating, sleeping, expressing emotions, and getting along with household members. Think in concrete examples.
Activities and interests: sports, music lessons, hobbies, or other regular activities.
Visitation notes: dates and observations from visits with parents or siblings, if applicable.
Service records: any therapy, counseling, tutoring, or other services the child receives, and anything you think should be added.

Filling Out the Form Section by Section

The JV-290 is a fillable PDF on the California Courts website.³ You can type into it or print and write in ink. If you handwrite, print clearly, because the form will be photocopied and read by several people.

There are ten numbered items plus a checkbox for attaching extra pages.⁴

Item 1, child’s information: first and last name, date of birth, and age.
Item 2, your information: your name, what type of caregiver you are, and how long the child has lived in your home.
Item 3, facility information: for community care facilities and foster family agencies only. Enter the facility name, address, phone, type, how long the child has been with your agency, and how long the child has been in the current placement. Indicate whether you are completing the form from your own observations or from team input, and if a team, list the members.
Item 4, health: medical, dental, and general physical and emotional health, including doctor visits, hospitalizations, medications, and notes on development.
Item 5, school: grade level, type of school, academic performance, and results of testing or school conferences.
Item 6, special education: whether the child receives services, and the date of the most recent IEP.
Item 7, adjustment to home: social skills, interactions with family members, how the child expresses feelings and needs, and eating and sleeping patterns.
Item 8, relationships outside the home: peers, teachers, and other adults.
Item 9, interests and activities: sports, music, hobbies, and how often the child participates.
Item 10, additional information: anything else the court should know, including behavioral observations, services currently received, recommendations for additional services, and visitation details.

Item 10 is where most caregivers have the most to say. Use it to flag unmet needs, recommend new services, or share concerns about visitation. If you run out of space on any item, check the box in Item 12 and attach additional pages. Label each attachment with the child’s name, the case number, and the item number it continues.

Writing Tips That Actually Matter

Judges read dozens of reports before each hearing. The ones that land are specific. Instead of “the child is doing better,” write something like “since starting weekly counseling in March, bedtime tantrums have dropped from nightly to about once a week.” Concrete details give the judge something to act on.

Stick to what you have personally observed or what appears in records you have seen. If the child told you something relevant, you can note it, but frame it as the child’s statement rather than established fact. Courts weigh direct observations more heavily than secondhand accounts.

Keep the tone neutral. The form is not the place to criticize the parents or argue for a particular outcome. Focus on the child’s current needs and progress, and on any areas where additional support would help. If you want to recommend a change in placement or services, state the recommendation plainly and tie it to specific observations elsewhere on the form.

Filing Deadlines and Copies

The deadlines depend on how you file:⁵

In person: bring the original and eight copies to the court clerk’s office no later than five calendar days before the hearing.
By mail: send the original and eight copies to the court clerk’s office no later than seven calendar days before the hearing.

Eight copies are required because copies go to multiple parties. The court can waive the procedure for good cause, but treat the deadlines as firm.¹

What the Clerk Does After You File

Once the clerk receives your JV-290, the clerk distributes copies to the social worker, all unrepresented parties, and all attorneys in the case, and completes and files a Proof of Service (Form JV-510) confirming delivery.¹ You do not need to serve anyone yourself. The clerk may use email, fax, courthouse drop boxes, or other electronic methods to speed up distribution.

Keep one copy for yourself. If you plan to attend the hearing, bring a few extra copies in case someone there did not receive one.⁴

Your Right to Be Heard at the Hearing

Filing a JV-290 is one way to participate, not the only one. Under 42 U.S.C. § 675(5)(G), foster parents, preadoptive parents, and relatives caring for the child have a right to notice of and a right to be heard in any proceeding involving the child. The federal statute also makes clear that receiving notice and having a right to be heard does not make you a party to the case.⁶

California implements this through Rule 5.534(k), which gives caregivers the right to be heard at review hearings, permanency hearings, and 366.26 hearings. The Advisory Committee Comment encourages judges to let caregivers speak directly in court when they want to share information about the child.¹ You can file the written form and still address the judge in person. If speaking in court feels intimidating, the written form alone satisfies your right to provide input.

Language Access

The JV-290 is available in English, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, and Vietnamese on the California Courts self-help website.³ WIC 366.21(c) requires the social worker to include the form in the caregiver’s primary language when a translated version exists.²

If your primary language is not one of the four, you can still complete the form in English with help from a translator, or contact the court clerk’s office about interpreter services. California courts that receive federal funding are required to take reasonable steps to assist people with limited English proficiency.

1
California Courts. Rule 5.534. General Provisions — All Proceedings
2
California Legislative Information. California Welfare and Institutions Code 366.21
3
California Courts. Caregiver Information Form (JV-290)
4
California Courts. Instruction Sheet for Caregiver Information Form
5
Judicial Council of California. Caregiver Information Form
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 675 – Definitions