|
|
For additional information on Permanency Planning, see our pages on Concurrent Permanency Planning and Youth Permanency (Permanency for Older Youth)
Resources
-
Achieving Permanence for Children in the Child Welfare System:
Pioneering Possiblities Amidst Daunting Challenges
This paper by Lorrie L. Lutz provides an overview of permanency
in the child welfare system and examines innovative strategies
being implemented in eight jurisdictions throughout the country.
-
State Statutes Related to Permanency Planning
From the Child Welfare Information Gateway - Search State statutes for issues related to permanency planning. Results will provide summaries of State statutes (and full text of laws, in some cases).
-
Making it Permanent: Reasonable Efforts to Finalize Permanency Plans for Foster Children
ASFA requires that permanency plans for children be determined at permanency hearings. Judges must make findings that the child welfare agency is making “reasonable efforts” to finalize those plans. What this means, and how to do it, is the subject of this book, designed to help judges issue orders and resolve disputes so children move more quickly into permanent placements and guide child advocates in eliciting information on agency efforts to move children into permanent homes. The book is available from the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law for $14.95
-
Expediting Dependency Appeals: Strategies to Reduce Delay
The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) mandated that States reduce the length of time courts take to finalize permanent placements for children removed from the custody of their birth families. Although ASFA focuses on the initial trial, appeals are also an important part of the permanency process. Permanency cannot be achieved if a child's case is awaiting resolution of an appeal. Some appellate courts are recognizing this concern and are beginning to address it by developing procedures that limit time extensions, set specific time goals for resolution, and more. This National Center for State Courts report examines the effectiveness of these procedures to expedite appeals in dependency cases (e.g., child abuse and neglect, children in need of special assistance, foster care, or adoption) in State courts. The first section of the report describes all such procedures in State courts across the country and reviews their implementation. The second section focuses on specific illustrations of how States are expediting dependency appeals in Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and Virginia. The report offers eight steps any appellate court can follow to implement an expedited appeals process. An appendix includes a copy of all relevant State rules and statutes.
Guides from the States
- Louisiana: Case Planning Desk Reference for Emergency Situations
With input from the National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues and from Louisiana program managers, AdoptUsKids developed this reference that identifies specific questions that should be answered to guide decision-making in emergencies. Organized by permanency goal, the Desk Reference is formatted as a set of check lists to facilitate ease of use. While this tool was designed specifically for use in the aftermath of the hurricanes, it can be used by any worker seeking guidance in permanency decision-making regardless if the plan is reunification, adoption or anything in between.
-
Minnesota: Practice Guide for Using Long-Term Foster Care
The Minnesota Department of Human Services developed this guide for placement decision-making. While the focus is on long-term foster care, it also serves as a model for guides that relate practice to State and Federal legislation.
- New Mexico: Best Practice Bulletins
This series includes issues on Advance Calendaring, Special Calendaring, and Pacing Permanency, as well as other topics on issues that promote safety, permanency and well-being.
Washington: Permanency Framework
This five-year plan for ensuring permanent families for children in foster care was developed by a statewide coalition of more than 300 individuals from 90 public and private agencies, tribes and organizations. The recommended improvements focus on six strategic areas to effect significant change within the system: Expediting Permanence, Kinship Families, Alternate (Non-kin) Permanent Families, Effective Practice with the Youngest Children, Permanence for Adolescents, and Community Involvement.
Webcasts
-
Achieving Permanence for Children: Pioneering Possibilities for Placement Stability
November 17, 2005
Lorrie L. Lutz, a consultant with NRCFCPPP, discussed CFSR results and findings from a survey of the states designed to learn about barriers to placement stability and promising practices to promote permanency. Shaun Donahue, Director of Field Services in Vermont, described step-by-step how this state achieved significant improvement in foster care placement stability through careful analysis, connecting staff to problem-solving activities and system change.
Bibliographies
PowerPoint Presentations
Last updated 08/24/07
|
|
