Fall 2004

This framework was developed and dis-cussed at a national Experts Meeting co-sponsored on June 7-8, 2004 by theNational Resource Center for Foster Care andPermanency Planning at the Hunter CollegeSchool of Social Work and Casey FamilyServices through the Casey Center forEffective Child Welfare Practice. The ExpertMeeting is a core component of theBreakthrough Series Collaborative onPermanence for Young People that bothorganizations hope to help to co-sponsor in2005, along with other national organiza-tions and states. This framework can alsostand on its own to guide child welfare agen-cies across the country to help young peopleachieve and maintain permanent family rela-tionships. It neither prescribes nor recom-mends best practice models; rather, it pro-poses six key components of successfullyidentifying and supporting permanent familyrelationships for young people in out-of-home care.

The belief and value that every child andyoung person deserves a permanent familyrelationship is paramount in this work.Permanence is not a philosophical process, aplan, or a foster care placement, nor is itintended to be a family relationship that lastsonly until the child turns age 18. Rather, per-manence is about locating and supporting alifetime family. For young people in out-of-home placement, planning for permanenceshould begin at entry into care, and be youth-driven, family-focused, culturally competent,continuous, and approached with the highestdegree of urgency. Child welfare agencies,in partnership with the larger community,have a moral and professional responsibilityto find a permanent family relationship foreach child and young person in foster care.

Permanence should bring physical, legal andemotional safety and security within the con-text of a family relationship and allow multi-ple relationships with a variety of caringadults. At the same time, young people inout-of-home care must be given opportuni-ties, within the family and community environ-ment, to learn the array of life skills necessaryto become independent and interdependentadults. Ensuring that children and youngpeople in foster care have both permanentrelationships AND life skills for independenceis critical to future well-being.

Permanence is achieved with a family rela-tionship that offers safe, stable, and commit-ted parenting, unconditional love and lifelongsupport, and legal family membership status.Permanence can be the result of preservationof the family, reunification with birth family; orlegal guardianship or adoption by kin, fictivekin, or other caring and committed adults.

Philosophy

This youth permanency framework is builtupon seven key foundational principles.These principles express the overarching val-ues that must guide all policies, programs,practices, services and supports for young

PERMANENCEfor Young PeopleFRAMEWORK

Permanency Planning TodayPermanency Planning Today

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people. They are interrelated and worktogether in a dynamic, synergistic way.While these principles are presented in asequential order, this order does not reflecta preferential order or each principle'srespective worth or relevance. Each princi-ple is critical and should be reflected in allpolicies, programs, practices, services andsupports of the agency.

All permanency policies, pro-grams, practices, services andsupports should be developedand implemented in ways that:

1 Recognize that every young person isentitled to a permanent family relation-ship, demonstrate that the agency iscommitted to achieving that goal, andinclude multiple systems and the com-munity at large in the effort to identifyand support such relationships.

2 Are driven by the young people them-selves, in full partnership with their fam-ilies and the agency in all decision-mak-ing and planning for their futures, recog-nizing that young people are the bestsource of information about their ownstrengths and needs.

3 Acknowledge that permanenceincludes: a stable, healthy and lastingliving situation within the context of afamily relationship with at least onecommitted adult; reliable, continuousand healthy connections with siblings,birth parents, extended family and anetwork of other significant adults; andeducation and/or employment, lifeskills, supports and services.

4 Begin at first placement. Efforts toachieve timely permanency throughreunification with the young person'sbirth family must begin as soon as theyoung person is placed, while concur-rently engaging in contingency planningwith family involvement regarding therange of permanency options that canensure stability and continuity of rela-tionships if continued out-of-homeplacement is needed.

5 Honor the cultural, racial, ethnic, lin-guistic, and religious/spiritual back-grounds of young people and their fam-ilies and respect differences in sexualorientation.

6 Recognize and build upon the strengthsand resilience of young people, theirparents, their families, and other signifi-cant adults.

7 Ensure that services and supports areprovided in ways that are fair, respon-sive, and accountable to young peopleand their families, and do not stigmatizethem, their families or their caregivers.

Components

The seven key principles described abovecan be translated into practice through sixcomponent areas of the work of theagency. Work done in each componentshould reflect the core values defined bythe key principles. In order to develop aneffective and comprehensive system of per-manence for young people, child welfareagencies should address all six of thesecomponents. Dramatic improvements in theoverall system of identifying, supporting,and maintaining permanent family connec-tions for young people in out-of-homeplacement will only occur when improve-ments in each of the six individual compo-nents are achieved.

1 Empower young people through infor-mation, support, and skills (includingindependent living skills) to be fullyinvolved partners in directing their ownpermanency planning and decision-making.A Staff value, support, and provide

opportunities for young people toadvocate for themselves, youngpeople receive preparation thatenables them to acquire the skillsnecessary to do so, and communi-cation with them is honest, direct,and respects them as true partners.

B Agencies place young people inpositions where they are in charge ofdriving discussions and options andthey receive training, preparation,

services and support from child wel-fare agencies, multiple systems andthe community at large to do so.

C Staff are trained and supported inusing specialized permanency plan-ning skills that assist young people inaddressing their fears, feelings, fam-ily issues, hopes, dreams, and aspi-rations.

2 Empower a wide range of individuals toparticipate in permanency planning,beginning with birth family and includ-ing extended family, tribal members,past, present and future caregivers,other adults who are significant to theyoung person, other systems with whomyoung people are involved, and othercommunity members. A Young people and individuals iden-

tified by them, including birth par-ents, extended family, caregivers,tribal members, and others whocare about them are meaningfullyincluded and supported in partici-pating in all meetings, case plan-ning, and decision-making as truepartners.

B Agencies respect and accommo-date the needs of young people andindividuals identified by them,including birth parents, extendedfamily, caregivers, tribal members,and others who care about them, toenable and support their participa-tion as true partners.

C Young people are supported inmaintaining, identifying, seeking out,and developing relationships withsignificant connections, includingbirth parents, siblings, both paternaland maternal kin, and other signifi-cant caring adults (such as past care-givers), including those that mayhave occurred earlier in life.

D Multiple systems within the com-munity, including health, mentalhealth, education, recreation, jobtraining, juvenile justice, familycourt, faith-based organizationsand the business community areengaged in the permanency plan-ning process, where appropriate,for individual young people.

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3 Consider, explore and implement a fullrange of permanency options in a time-ly and continuous way. A Agencies, young people, and their

families together identify a full rangeof actual and available permanencyoptions without imposing limitationsbased on the age of the youth,beginning with an extensive identifi-cation of the family of origin.

B Agencies articulate to young peo-ple, their families, and their care-givers the full range of actual andavailable permanency options andthe implications of each.

C The full team (including young peo-ple, family members, child welfarestaff, staff of other systems withwhom young people are involvedand other community stakeholders)receive training and support on a fullspectrum of options and are provid-ed opportunities to express andwork through their values related topermanency.

D Concurrent planning for multipleoptions and relationships isemployed early, regularly and on anongoing basis for all young people,integrating a plan for family perma-nency together with a plan for thedevelopment of life skills and theprovision of supports and services.

E The permanency option decidedupon together with each team(including young person, familymembers, and other significantadults) is based on the young per-son's individual situation, needs andpreferences; represents his or herbest interest; and is reassessed reg-ularly until a plan is achieved thatincludes a permanent family rela-tionship as well as life skills, supportsand services.

F Agency infrastructure and resourcesvalue and support the considerationof all potential family permanencyoutcomes as they relate to meetingthe best interests of the young person.

4 From the beginning, continuously andconcurrently employ a comprehensiverange of recruitment options.

Recruitment from ExistingConnections and Relationships

A Young people are asked regularlyand systematically about people intheir lives who could assist in helpingthem plan for their future and/orserve as permanent resources.

B Young people are provided with theskills and opportunities to interactwith multiple systems and communi-ty members in ways that help buildpermanent relationships.

C Multiple strategies are employed toidentify potential permanent familyresources and significant adult con-nections, including a review of theentire case file, as well as conversa-tions with multiple sources, such asthe young person, birth parents, sib-lings, extended family members,tribal members, former and currentcaregivers, teachers, prior caseworkers, and other individuals in thecommunity who care about theyoung person.

D Youth-specific recruitment strategiesspecific to each young person's net-work of relationships are used tosimultaneously engage individualsidentified by young people in a jointplanning process and in a process ofmutual exploration of the extent andlevel of permanent family commit-ment they could provide. Recruitment of “New” Resource Families

E Youth and those who care for themare educated on possible recruit-ment strategies for new resourcefamilies, including relevant consider-ations regarding confidentiality,sharing of information and protec-tion of the youth from exploitation.

F Youth-designed, self-promoting recruit-ment strategies and processes areemployed, depending on the youth'spreferences and level of comfort.

G All recruitment messages areshaped by the voices of young peo-ple and families who havelived/experienced the continuum ofpermanency relationships.

H An array of methods and media are

used to raise awareness about theneeds of young people, as well as tocommunicate recruitment messagesto the community.

I A pool of potential permanencyresource families who reflect the cul-tural, racial, ethnic, linguistic, and reli-gious/spiritual backgrounds of theyoung people needing placementexists and is continually replenishedthrough targeted recruitment efforts.

J A pool of potential permanencyresource families who have ademonstrated knowledge of, com-mitment to, and concern for youngpeople and can parent young peo-ple with the unique needs, charac-teristics, and issues represented inthe population exists and is continu-ally replenished through targetedrecruitment efforts.

5 From the beginning of placement, pro-vide services and supports to continu-ously ensure that young people andtheir families have every opportunity toachieve and maintain physical, emo-tional, and legal permanence.A Young people, in partnership with

agencies, make decisions aboutobtaining services and supports,which are made available throughclearly established, consistentprocesses.

B Birth family and tribal members,caregivers, other significant adults ina young person's life, and serviceproviders involved with the youthare involved in decisions aboutobtaining services and supports,which are made available throughclearly established, consistentprocesses.

C Services and supports are provided toyoung people and their parents or theirpermanent families in ways that are: 1. urgent: recognize the essential

priority of assuring love and com-mitment to young people whilemeeting their well-being needs,including their educational needs;

2. comprehensive: address allaspects of a young person's well-being, including health, mentalhealth, education and life skills;

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3. continuous: available from theday of entry into care to beyondthe achievement of a permanencygoal, regardless of age;

4. universally available: are availableregardless of permanency goal,educational or employment choice,living arrangement, placementlocation, or permanency outcome;

5. customized: meet the unique needsof young people, birth families andpermanent families and areassessed and adjusted regularly toreflect progress and changes;

6. culturally appropriate: value andhonor the culture of the youngperson and his/her birth familyand permanent family; and

7. accessible: provide access to thefull range of services and supportsin a timely and convenient manner.

D The financial needs of young peopleand their families are recognized,sources of funding to meet theirneeds are identified, and assistancein accessing such funding is provid-ed, regardless of legal status.

E Community members and communi-ty agencies are involved in providingand advocating for supports andservices to young people and theirfamilies.

6 Agencies collaborate with other systemsthat serve young people and families toengage young people and families astrue partners and to provide services,support and opportunities during andafter placement.A Agency staff and partners in other

systems receive training, education,and support to address their fears,feelings, assumptions, and beliefsabout permanency and positiveyouth development to support a cul-ture of youth and family partnership.

B Young people, their families, and oth-ers who care about young people aredirectly involved in the developmentand delivery of all agency and cross-system training and education aboutpermanency and positive youthdevelopment to support a culture ofyouth and family partnership.

C Young people, their families, and thesystems that serve them (includingcourts and attorneys) have a com-mon understanding, language andset of beliefs about permanencydefinitions and work to expand per-manency options with a focus onyouth-defined options.

D Agency staff, together with youngpeople and families, engage both tra-ditional and non-traditional partnersin the community to broaden aware-ness and to advocate for the need forlife skills and permanence for youngpeople in out-of-home care.

E Young people and families are con-tinuously involved in designing,implementing, and evaluating thesystems that serve them.

F Agency staff, together with youngpeople and families, continuouslyidentify and address critical system,cross-system, and policy changesneeded to develop an effective andcomprehensive system of perma-nence for young people.

A printer-friendly copy of this framework is available for download from our website athttp://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/permanence-for-young-people.html

Reprinted from the Children's Bureau Express, September, 2004

The State of New Hampshire uses Federal Title IV-E funds to support train-ing for prospective foster parents through a partnership between the StateDepartment of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) and the College forLifelong Learning (CLL). In 2002, the partnership conducted an evaluationto determine the effectiveness of its 21-hour training program, Foundationsfor Fostering (FFF). The evaluation found this curriculum contributes to theknowledge base of prospective foster parents, enhances feelings of pre-paredness and confidence, and serves as a useful resource that partici-pants can draw upon during initial foster placements.

Prospective foster parents (41) were surveyed at the beginning and end oftraining, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants(13) who went on to become licensed foster parents and had a childplaced within 3 months of completing training.

Results included:

* Participants felt significantly more prepared for foster parenting aftertraining.

* Participants gained a better understanding of children in placementand the child welfare system in general.

* Participants appeared to apply the knowledge they gained whenchildren were placed in their homes.

From the interviews, evaluators concluded that the sharing of fostering sto-ries and real-life situations made a significant impression on the partici-pants. Participants also indicated the need for further training in a numberof areas, including the needs of older children, behavior managementstrategies, emotional disabilities, and services available to children inplacement.

From these findings, evaluators concluded that preservice foster parenttraining offered through a Title IV-E university-agency partnership can pro-vide numerous benefits. These findings support previous research indicat-ing the importance of foster parent training. The partnership is repeatingthis study in State FY 2004 with an eye toward increasing the sample size.

More information about the Education and Training Partnership and theFFF curriculum is available on the CLL website at www.cll.edu/about/etp/.

For more information about the completed study (Part I), ongoing evalua-tion efforts, or to request a manuscript, please contact:

John B. CookEducation & Training PartnershipCollege for Lifelong Learning117 Pleasant Street, Dolloff Bldg.Concord, NH 03301Phone: (603) 271-6625Email: etp@cll.edu

Evaluation of a Foster Parent Training Program Yields Promising Results

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PERMANENCEfor Young PeopleM E A S U R E S

OverviewThis document is a companion to the Framework for Permanence forYoung People and may be used to support a Breakthrough SeriesCollaborative on Permanence for Young People. It provides a listand brief description of a handful of key measures that can be usedby agencies across the country to evaluate their progress onimproving the way they achieve and maintain permanence foryoung people. As with the Framework document, these measureswere developed and discussed at a national Expert Meeting onJune 7-8, 2004 co-sponsored by the National Resource Center forFoster Care and Permanency Planning at the Hunter College Schoolof Social Work and Casey Family Services through the CaseyCenter for Effective Child Welfare Practice.

Although there are a multitude of measures that agencies can useto define and evaluate permanency services, supports, and out-comes, child welfare agencies are already responsible for manyrequired data reports such as the Adoption and Foster CareAnalysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), National Child Abuseand Neglect Data System (NCANDS), and state mandated reports.To that end, the expert group limited the number of suggested keymeasures to seven and included several that are being capturedthrough existing data systems already.

Agencies that expect real and sustainable improvements in theirsystems of permanence for young people should track all seven ofthese measures. No single measure can indicate whether the sys-tem is improving for young people and their families. Moreover,sometimes focusing on a single measure causes an unintendednegative effect on another key measure. Thus, the complete bodyof measures proposed in this document should be used together. Itis recommended that these measures be tracked on a monthlybasis, as this is the only real way to see incremental progress andmake adjustments as needed.

Other systems that serve and support young people should also beencouraged to track key measures of permanence as well. Courts,employment offices, housing organizations, schools, and similaragencies and organizations are partners in this work and this part-nership should include shared responsibility and accountabilitythrough joint measurement.

While only a few sets of measures recommend tracking data byrace/ethnicity, it is strongly encouraged that all measures aretracked by race/ethnicity. To identify and address disparities in out-comes for children and families of color in the public child welfaresystem, all measures should be tracked by race/ethnicity.

Available PotentialResource Families

Increase in the number and percentage of resourcefamilies (foster, adoptive, kinship families) whohave a demonstrated knowledge of, commitmentto, and concern for young people and can parentyoung people with the unique needs, characteris-tics, and issues represented in the population.

Placement Settings & StabilityDecrease in the number and percentage of youngpeople in non-family settings, e.g. institutional andgroup home settings. Decrease the number of moves young peopleexperience in out-of-home care.

Participation in MeetingsIncrease in the number and percentage of youngpeople who report that they actively participate intheir own case planning and decision-making andthat their wishes are respected.

Training &EducationIncrease in preparation, training, education,and/or support that is provided about permanencefor young people to key constituency groups suchas:.... Young people, families and extended families.... Agency staff .... Courts .... Tribal courts.... Attorneys .... CASA workers .... Schools.... Probation officers .... Community providersOther key partners as determined by the youngpeople or the Department

Maintaining ConnectionsIncrease in the number and percentage of young peo-ple who maintain connections with their birth parents,siblings, extended family members and other signifi-cant adults in their lives.

Youth-Defined PermanenceIncrease in the number and percentage of youngpeople who leave out of home care reporting thatthey have the optimal level of family belonging andmembership based on their vision and definition ofpermanence.

Legal PermanenceIncrease in the number and percentage of youngpeople who achieve legal family permanencethrough reunification, adoption, or guardianship(by race and ethnicity).

Key Measures

A printer-friendly copy of these measures is available for download from our website athttp://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/permanence-for-young-people.html

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Resources for Permanency Planning Today

BooksKinship Care: Making the Most of a Valuable Resource

2003, Rob Geen (Ed.)Since the early 1980s, states child welfare agencies' use of relatives as foster parents has grown rapidly, yet little information is available on this practice.This lack of information has made it difficult to evaluate how well kinship care ensures children's safety, promotes permanency in their living situation, and

enhances their well-being-three basic goals of the child welfare system. This book sheds light on this changing issue. Using a study involving focus groups ofchild welfare workers and kinship caregivers, in addition to interviews with local administrators, advocates, and service providers, the authors describe front-

line kinship care practices in today's system. They also examine how and when child welfare agencies use kin as foster parents, how their approach to kinshipcare differs from traditional foster care, and how kinship care practices vary across states. The book also features the experiences of actual kinship foster par-

ents, their challenges, and their interaction with agencies and the courts. Finally, the book provides recommendations for policy development, worker andcaregiver training, and issues for further research.

Real Belonging: Give Siblings Their Right to Reunite2004, by Lynn S. Price

When she was eight years old, Lynn Price found out that she was a foster child and had a sister in foster care with another family on the other side of town.The impact of that startling news and the trauma of a disconnected sibling relationship continue to motivate Lynn in her life's work as a child advocate. Despite

the obstacles placed in her path, Lynn Price has achieved great things in a life distinguished by success, significance and service. With a degree from theUniversity of Illinois, three children, and twenty years as an executive in the telecommunications industry, Lynn has turned her passion to giving back to kids inthe system. This book tells her story and that of Camp To Belong, an international non-profit organization dedicated to reuniting siblings placed in separate

foster homes and other out-of-home care for events of fun, emotional empowerment and sibling connection.

Children Missing from Care: An Issue Brief2004, Caren Kaplan

This issue brief from the Child Welfare League of America is intended to inform and guide federal, state, and local policymakers, as well as members of thelaw enforcement and child welfare communities, in the development of effective policies and practices with children who are missing from the care of a child

welfare agency, whether through running away, abduction, or inattentiveness of the custodial agency. It will be followed by coordinated guidelines fromCWLA and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to enhance agencies' capacity to monitor the whereabouts and safety of children in foster

care and to effectively respond when a child in care is missing. http://www.cwla.org/programs/fostercare/childmiss.htm

Toolbox #3: Facilitating Permanency for Older Youth2004, Gerald P. Mallon

Facilitating permanency for youth in foster care can be challenging. Although the child welfare system has maintained in its policies and practices a clearfocus for younger children in need of permanency, it has been less explicit on the logistics of facilitating that goal. This publication focuses on promising prac-tices and approaches shown to promote permanency for youth. Contents include a current literature and research review; highlights of promising strategies,

partnerships, and innovative public policies; case review prototypes; strategies for including the adolescent in the service planning process; definitions of out-comes for adolescent permanency; and many other areas. This book will provide practitioners with the vision and the practical guidance needed to facilitate

and support permanency for youth and thus improve youth chances for safety, permanency, and well-being.

Child Maltreatment 2002This annual publication presents data on child maltreatment collected by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) from state childprotective services (CPS) agencies. Included in the report are national- and state-level findings on perpetrators of maltreatment, CPS work force workload,

and preventive and post-investigation services. The report is intended for use by policymakers, child welfare practitioners, researchers, and othersconcerned with child well-being. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cm02/index.htm

VideosParenting Wisely: An Effective Interactive Program

This video training program was developed to teach parents of children and adolescents important parenting skills to prevent or arrest the development ofserious problems. It is based on the Functional Family Therapy model and has been awarded Exemplary Model Program for preventing delinquency and

substance abuse in children and teens by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA)and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). http://www.parentingwisely.com

Through the Eyes of the ChildThis introductory video presents issues related to the foster care system and special needs adoption from the perspective of the children within that system. The

target audience is individuals and groups focused on permanency for children waiting in the foster care system http://www.davethomasfoundationforadoption.org

Children in the Middle: Divorce Education for ParentsThis is a skills-based program that helps children and parents deal with the children's reactions to divorce. It is built around a 37-minute video for parents that

teaches parents the skills needed to avoid putting children in the middle of their conflicts, and a 30-minute video for children to help then understand why par-ents divorce. Available open-captioned and in Spanish. A SAMHSA Model Program. http://www.divorce-education.com

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The NRCFCPP publishes an electronicnewsletter each week that keeps sub-scribers informed about new Internet-based publications, conferences and otherevents of interest to child welfare profes-sionals. This section lists some of valuableresources we have highlighted over thepast few months.

STRATEGIC PLANNING FORCHILD WELFARE AGENCIES

This package on strategic planning for childwelfare agencies presents an overview ofstrategic planning and explores key ques-tions - what it is, why child welfare agen-cies should do it, who should be involved,and what it involves. It describes a four-stage process for strategic planning:

o Preparationo Planningo Implementationo Review and Revise

The steps in each of these stages are illus-trated by examples of strategic planningprocesses being used by state and countychild welfare agencies today. The packagealso includes information on legal require-ments and national standards around plan-ning, and an overview of technical assis-tance and written resources available tochild welfare agencieshttp://muskie.usm.maine.edu/helpkids/

A FAMILY'S GUIDE TO THECHILD WELFARE SYSTEM

This guide was developed as a collabora-tive effort among the GeorgetownUniversity Center for Child and HumanDevelopment, the American Institutes for

Research, the Federation of Families forChildren's Mental Health, the ChildWelfare League of America, and theNational Indian Child Welfare Association.It is organized into 10 sections and includesa general description of the child welfaresystem and information about child protec-tive services, the service planning process,home- and community-based services,out-of-home placement services, choicesfor permanent placements, the IndianWelfare Act, parents' rights and responsi-bilities, and approaches used by child wel-fare agencies to help families reach theirgoals. It is intended for use by families,agencies serving children and families,educators, and others in building positiverelationships and increasing family partici-pation in service planning.http://www.cwla.org/childwelfare/familyguide.htm

FOSTERING THE FUTURE:SAFETY, PERMANENCE

& WELL-BEING FORCHILDREN IN FOSTER CAREThe Pew Commission on Children in FosterCare released recommendations to over-haul the nation's foster care system. TheCommission undertook a comprehensiveassessment of two key aspects of the fostercare system: the federal financing structureand the court system. They determined thatreform in these two areas would have far-reaching effects for children in foster careand is a critical first step to solving manyother problems that plague the child wel-fare system. http://pewfostercare.org/

AN ANALYSIS OF STATES'CHILD AND FAMILY

SERVICES REVIEWS ANDPROGRAM IMPROVEMENT

PLANS FROM A YOUTHDEVELOPMENTPERSPECTIVE

This paper, written by the NationalResource Center for Youth Development,presents an analysis of issues, relatingspecifically to adolescents, identified in thefinal Child and Family Service Review(CFSR) reports and the ProgramImprovement Plans (PIPs). The report ana-lyzed reports for the presence of youthrelated issues and explores their ramifica-tions in the PIP process.http://www.nrcys.ou.edu/NRCYD/publications.htm

MAINSTREAMING FAMILYGROUP CONFERENCING:

BUILDING & SUSTAININGPARTNERSHIPS

This article by Joan Pennell of North CarolinaState University suggests that the practice offamily group conferencing in child welfarehas moved away from the initial goal of jointproblem solving and toward “systemic goalsof maintaining control, meeting regulations,containing costs, and avoiding litigation.”She recommends nine steps for building part-nerships for initiating and sustaining familygroup conferencing.http://www.iirp.org/library/vt/vt_pennell.html

Best of Weekly Update

OVERREPRESENTATION OFMINORITY CHILDREN:

HOW THE CHILD WELFARESYSTEM IS RESPONDING

This report from the Children's Bureau sug-gests that children of color, especiallyAfrican American children, are overrepre-sented in the child welfare system for avariety of reasons, including poverty andracial bias. It is one of the first studies toexplore the attitudes and perceptions of thechild welfare community regarding racialdisproportionality. It emphasizes the needfor stronger administrative support,increased staff training in both general childwelfare issues and cultural competency,and more internal and external resources tobetter serve families.http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/other-pubs/children/index.cfm

ANSWERING THE CALL: A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

TO ENCOURAGEADOPTION OF CHILDREN

FROM FOSTER CAREThe United States Department of Healthand Human Services Administration forChildren and Families (ACF), the AdoptionExchange Association (AEA), and theCollaboration to AdoptUSKids, created anew public service advertising campaign(PSA) with the Ad Council to encourage theadoption of children from foster care. Thecampaign uses print, radio, television andinternet PSAs to encourage prospectiveparents to realize that they "don't have tobe a hero to be a hero," and "don't have tobe perfect to be a perfect parent." Visit thelink below to view an example of one of thetelevision PSAs.http://www.adoptuskids.org/servlet/page?_pageid=412&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30

YOUTH PERSPECTIVESON PERMANENCY

This report from California YouthConnection and the California YouthPermanency Project summarizes what cur-rent and former foster youth in Californiahad to say on the subject of permanencyand lifelong connections. Click on “CPYPNew Documents.” Must reading!http://www.cpyp.org/

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The 2004National Adoption Month The 2004 National Adoption Month was launched earlierthis month - in plenty of time to plan events for November -thanks to a collaborative effort on the part of the NationalAdoption Information Clearinghouse and The Collaborationto AdoptUSKids, both services of the Children's Bureau.

This year's theme "Answering the Call - You don't have to beperfect to be a perfect parent builds on the Collaboration toAdoptUSKids' national recruitment campaign Answering theCall as well as the adoption public service campaignlaunched early this past summer by the Ad Council whichuses print, radio, television, and Internet PSAs to encouragefamilies to step forward to be adoptive parents.(http://www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/adoption/).

Highlights of the 2004 National Adoption Month websiteinclude: November 2004 Calendar with suggested activi-ties to celebrate adoption in November:(http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/activities_calendar.cfm)

National Adoption Day, (Saturday, November 20, 2004), aday when hundreds of children around the country will havetheir adoptions finalized in local courts and jurisdictionsthroughout the nation.(http://www.nationaladoptionday.org/2004/).

Resources for Professionals on Recruiting and RetainingFoster and Adoptive Parents(http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/resources_profess.cfm).

Resources for Parents and Teachers(http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/resources_parents.cfm)

Visit the 2004 National Adoption website at:(http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/index.cfm).

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There are about 126,000 children and youth in foster carewho are waiting to be adopted. Almost half are older thannine, and almost a third are older than eleven. Many of thesechildren will grow up without the nurturance and security of apermanent family. Every year about 20,000 young peopleleave the foster care system with no place they can call“home.”

Waiting children and youth are identified as those who havea goal of adoption and/or whose parental rights have beenterminated. Youth 16 years and older whose parental rightshave been terminated and who have a goal of emancipationare excluded from national estimates.

It is possible for these young people to achieve permanencythrough one of the processes acceptable under the Adoptionand Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) - reunification, adop-tion, legal guardianship, or another permanent planned liv-ing arrangement. However, it is up to us, child welfare pro-fessionals who work with and on behalf of these young peo-ple, to make sure it happens for each and every one of them.

We know that there are family-centered casework and legalstrategies that support permanency, including:

❏ targeted and appropriate efforts to ensure safety,achieve permanence, and strengthen family and youthwell-being;

❏ reasonable efforts to prevent unnecessary placementin out-of-home care when safety can be assured;

❏ appropriate, least restrictive out-of-home placementswithin the child's family, culture, and community, withcomprehensive family and youth assessments, writtencase plans, goal-oriented practice and concurrentpermanency plans encouraged; and

❏ reasonable efforts to reunify families and maintainfamily connections and continuity in young people'srelationships when safety can be assured.

When working with teenagers in need of permanency, wemust remember that the concept of permanence is often notclear-cut for adolescents in foster care. Adolescence is bydefinition a time of transformation, growth, and changes,physically, intellectually, morally, spiritually, socially, and

emotionally. Developmentally, adolescents are struggling toidentity who they are and as a parallel process they are alsodeveloping their unique world view. The primary tasks ofadolescence are identity formation and establishing inde-pendence, with a backdrop (heightened for youth in the fos-ter care system) of distrust of adults, reluctance to acceptadvice, and resentment of adult authority.

So - guiding and working with young people in need of per-manent families is challenging, to say the least. We need allthe help we can get!

The National Resource Center for Foster Care andPermanency Planning joined together with the Casey Centerfor Effective Child Welfare Practice at Casey Family Servicesto bring 27 experts in the field of youth permanency togeth-er at a two-day meeting in June 2004. At this meeting theycrafted a Framework for Youth Permanency designed toguide child welfare agencies across the country to helpyoung people achieve and maintain permanent family rela-tionships. Also developed - a companion group of measuresaimed at helping agencies track whether their efforts achieveresults for young people.

P E R M A N E N C Efor Older Youth

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We are pleased to present theFramework and Measures in this issueof Permanency Planning Today. Theyrepresent the best thinking of the peo-ple listed below. We thanks theseexperts, who include young people;birth, foster, adoptive, and kinship par-ents; and representatives of local,State, and national child welfare agen-cies and organizations devoted to thewell-being of children, youth and fam-ilies, for their dedication and hard workin preparing these important docu-ments.

Dottie AnsellNational Resource Centerfor Youth Services

Rosemary AveryWeiss Presidential FellowDepartment of Policy Analysisand Management,Cornell University

Sue BadeauDeputy DirectorPew Commission for Foster Care

Kathy BarbellSenior Program Director:Program OperationsChild Welfare League of America

Margaret BarrieKinship Caregiver

Deanna BedellPermanency Planning Program ManagerWashington StateChildren's Administration

Kevin CampbellCatholic Community Servicesof Western Washington

Sarah CedanoStudent

Lynne EchenbergAttorneyLegal Aid Society,Juvenile Rights Division

Jenny GordonFamily Support Section ManagerRamsey County Human ServicesDepartment

Maureen HeffernanExecutive DirectorFamily Builders Adoption Network

Chester JacksonAssociate Executive DirectorYou Gotta Believe!

Cheryl JacobsonState Child Welfare AdministratorColorado Department ofHuman Services

Joe KrollExecutive DirectorNorth American Councilon Adoptable Children

Drenda LakinNational Resource Centerfor Special Needs Adoption

Angela LeBeauParent LeaderSacramento, CA 95832

Pamela MaxwellParent LeaderSacramento, CA 95823

Jackie McCrayResource Management/Recruitment AdministrationCuyahoga County, OHDepartment of Children& Family Services

Brenden McKinneyAdministrator of Protected Services-Wyoming Department of Family ServicesDirector-Casey Family Programs;Cheyenne Field Office

Isabelle MedchillCasey Family Programs

Holly MerzPermanency SpecialistCasey Family Programs

Jennifer MillerConsultantCornerstone Consulting Group

Joan MorseNational Resource Centerfor Foster Care andPermanency Planning

Robin NixonDirectorNational Foster Care Coalition

Rita PowellSenior DirectorJim Casey Youth Alternatives

Onie RileyStudent

Reina SanchezYouth OrganizerCalifornia Youth Connections

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A Response to Misleading NY Times Editorial

A recent editorial in the New York Times presented some mislead-ing statistics about child maltreatment and foster care in the UnitedStates. While the conclusion it reached - that “firmly enforcednational standards and federal aid to help support them are thebest hope for…children currently at risk” - is worthy, it is inflamma-tory to indicate that there are “millions” of such children.

Here are the facts from the Children's Bureau, Administration onChildren, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services, available on the Internet atwww.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cmreports.htm:

▲ 896,000 children were determined to be the victims of abuse orneglect in 2002. Over 77% of these children were mistreated byone or more of their parents. This amounts to 12.3 cases of mal-treatment for every 100,000 children in the country.

▲ In the 38 states that reported the relationship of the perpetratorto the victim, 3,934 of the 651,109 perpetrators (0.5%) were fos-ter parents and 1,256 (0.2%) were staff in residential facilities.

▲ While no maltreatment in foster care is acceptable, we must rec-ognize that it is beyond the power of any agency to preventevery instance of abuse or neglect. The federal government hasset a standard for substantiated or indicated maltreatment inout-of-home care as 0.57% or less - a standard met in 2002 by60.53% of the 38 reporting states.

▲ 1,400 children died from abuse and neglect in 2002, the vastmajority at the hands of their parents. 46 of these deaths wereof children in foster care - 3.2%.

▲ Cases of severe abuse and neglect, by foster parents as well asby birth parents, make headlines and horrify the nation.

However, these are aberrations. The vast majority of childrenwho enter foster care receive excellent care from committed fos-ter parents. 57% return home to their parents. 36% spend fivemonths or less in care and another 25% leave care in under 18months.

The Child and Family Service Review process was designed toenable the Children's Bureau to ensure that State child welfareagency practice is in conformity with Federal child welfare require-ments, to determine what is actually happening to children andfamilies as they are engaged in State child welfare services, and toassist States to enhance their capacity to help children and familiesachieve positive outcomes. The reviews look at seven child welfareoutcomes in the areas of safety, permanency, and well-being. While it is true that no state has achieved substantial compliance onall seven of the standards, that does not mean the states have“failed” the reviews. Standards were set high, and the first round ofreviews was intended to provide a baseline measure of currentpractice. Detailed reports provide states with specific areas in whichthey can improve their practice. The process then involves thepreparation of Program Improvement Plans to address areas ofweakness, which will be followed by a second round of reviews. What do states need to improve their practice and achieve betteroutcomes for children in the United States?

They need fewer individuals who complain about inadequaciesand abuses, and more who are willing to step up to the plate them-selves. Every state needs foster families and adoptive families, aswell as people able to provide other types of support.Visit www.fostercaremonth.org for information!

Toolbox #3: Facilitating Permanency for Youth by Gerald P. Mallon, DSWAssociate Professor and Executive Director, NRCFCPP at the Hunter College School of Social WorkA Service of the Children's Bureau ACF/DHHSFacilitating permanency for youth in foster care can be challenging. Although the child welfare systemhas maintained in its policies and practices a clear focus for younger children in need of permanency,it has been less explicit on the logistics of facilitating that goal. This publication focuses on promisingpractices and approaches shown to promote permanency for youth. Contents include a current litera-ture and research review; highlights of promising strategies, partnerships, and innovative public poli-cies; case review prototypes; strategies for including the adolescent in the service planning process;definitions of outcomes for adolescent permanency; and many other areas. This book will provide prac-titioners with the vision and the practical guidance needed to facilitate and support permanency foryouth and thus improve youth chances for safety, permanency, and well-being.

Please see the others in the series Toolbox #1: Using Visitation to Support PermanencyToolbox #2: Expanding the Role of Foster Parents in Achieving Permanency for ChildrenFor order info go to: http://cwla.org/pubs/pubdetails.asp?PUBID=10048

Gerald P. Mallon, DSWAssociate Professor & Executive Director

212/452-7043gmallon@hunter.cuny.edu

Stephanie Boyd Serafin, ACSWAssociate Director212/452-7049

stephanie.serafin@hunter.cuny.edu

Judy Blunt, MSW, JDAssistant Director

212/452-7436jblunt@hunter.cuny.edu

Irene StaterGrants Coordinator212/452-7432

istater@hunter.cuny.edu

NRCFCPP STAFF: