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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.
- Study Shows Legal Representation of Children Expedites Permanency
This article by Lily Dorman-Colby discusses an evaluation of the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County's Foster Children's Project (FCP) that shows a direct link between legal representation of children in foster care and their permanency outcomes. The study used data provided by the child welfare records from the Department of Children and Families' HomeSafeNet administrative database and from the juvenile court case files. The study also included interviews of judicial professionals, social workers, youth, and their parents. Findings indicate children represented by FCP were determined to have significantly higher rates of achieving permanency; adoption or guardianship was almost three times more likely with children served by FCP; there was a significant increase in long-term custody among children represented by FCP; reunification rates were unchanged; and permanency and the timing of legal milestones were expedited. Suggestions for courts and court professionals are made. The article is available from ABA Center on Children and the Law’s Child Court Works v. 10.3 (June 2008).
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"Now What? Leaving the System: A Special Issue on Permanency"
The March/April 2008 issue of Represent Magazine, "Now What? Leaving the System: A Special Issue on Permanency" offers stories by young people on adoption, reunification, and independent living. The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) named Represent's "Now What? Leaving the System: A Special Issue on Permanency" a finalist in the category of Best One-Theme Issue in this year's Distinguished Achievement Awards.
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Achieving Permanency: Guidelines for Expectations of County Child Welfare Staff (
This guide serves as a model for agencies in finding family permanency for children and youth. It suggests that child welfare tasks focus on safety and on helping young people leave foster care for permanent homes. The guide can be used to: clarify expectations with agency staff regarding permanency; evaluate staff performance; and prioritize permanency tasks so that permanency becomes as intuitive as safety and well-being in the agency. (2009)
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Mama S & Papa M: Making APPLAs Work for Youth
Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement can and should be used if the three preferred permanency alternatives (adoption, guardianship, and placement with a relative) are not an option. All youth need a caring, committed adult involved in their lives. Fostering Families published this article by Executive Director, Sarah Gerstenzang, describing her personal experience with APPLA and offering suggestions for making APPLAs successful. Visit the New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children website to read Sarah’s article. (May/June 2010)
Guides from the States
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California:
Definitions of Permanency and Permanent Lifelong Connection from CPYP
The California Permanency for Youth Project (CPYP) has made available on its website a “Definition of Permanency” and a “Definition of Permanent Lifelong Connection.” (2007)
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Permanency: A Statewide Approach to Sustainability
This approach is designed to bring public, private and cross-system partners together around a consistent permanency framework, and ensure statewide resources and capacity are developed to support local cross-system implementation. (2009)
- Illinois:
Permanency for all Children
This webpage developed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services defines permanency and provides principles of permanency planning and information related to concurrent planning, intervention, assessment, diligent search, child and family team functioning, family meetings, engagement, casework practice, and work with non-custodial parents.
- 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.
Ohio:
Ohio Children in Planned Permanent Living Arrangements
This report examines planned
permanent living arrangements (PPLA). It provides the legal context for sanctioning
this position and then examines children in Ohio who have been in PPLA over the past three
years to see how they got there and their outcomes.
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.
- Permanency Planning Practice Guide for Social Workers
Webcasts
- Achieving Permanence for Children: Pioneering Possibilities for Placement Stability
November 17, 2005
Lorrie L. Lutz, a consultant with NRCPFC, 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
Websites
Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
Resources to support professionals in ensuring a legally permanent, nurturing family for every child in out-of-home care through family reunification, adoption from foster care, guardianship, and permanent placements with relatives. Includes information on legal and court issues, preparing and supporting children and youth, interjurisdictional placements, postpermanency services, and special issues in achieving permanency for older youth, children from minority groups, and children with disabilities.
- APPLA and Long-Term Foster Care
This section of the Child Welfare Information Gateway contains resources and information about APPLA (another planned permanent living arrangement) and long-term foster care.
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