Slide of 481 Module 9: Out of Home Placement and Permanency Planning Slide of 481 Module 9: Out of...

Slide of 481Module 9: Out of Home Placement and Permanency PlanningModule 9: Out of Home Placement and Permanency Planning

Slide of 481

Module 9: Out of Home Placement and Permanency Planning

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program

Slide of 482Module 9: Out of Home Placement and Permanency Planning

Day One ◦ Introduction ◦The Importance of Permanency Planning◦Supporting Children, Parents, and Substitute

Caregivers throughout the Placement Process◦Permanency Goals Overview◦Concurrent Planning



Day Two ◦Permanency Services◦Developing Child Permanency Plans

Day Three ◦Working the Plan and Finalizing Permanency Goals ◦Beyond Permanency ◦Course Summary and Evaluations



Day OneParticipants will be able to:◦ Identify the impact that separation has on children in

out of home placement; ◦Recognize the five permanency options and their

casework tasks for children who come into agency care as outlined in ASFA;

◦Describe the casework tasks involved in concurrent planning;



Day Two ◦Participants will be able to:

Recognize the permanency services available through private providers, SWAN or their agency to aid in permanency planning;

Recognize the components of a quality Child Permanency Plan;

Identify appropriate interventions to manage the Visitation Plan;

Day Three ◦Participants will be able to:

Describe how permanency needs of a child/youth changes as the child matures; and

Review how casework tasks throughout the life of the case impact permanency outcomes for children.



Permanency planning is, first and foremost, planning.

Process directed toward the goal of a permanent, stable home for a child.

Begins at intake, and focuses Child Welfare services on the child's need for a stable, permanent home during all phases of practice.



Step-by-step process of assessment, identification of goals and objectives, formulation of activities, and reassessment of the outcomes of services.

Reminds us - All case planning activities MUST be directed toward assuring that every child in our care has a permanent family.



Children have a right and need to live and develop within safe, secure, and permanent families.

Children have a right to live with parents/caregivers whom they can love, trust, and depend upon.

Separation for extended periods of time may result in tremendous psychological and developmental disruption.

A child's perception and experience of time are determined by his level of cognitive developmental maturity.



Up to 22% become homeless from the day they leave care. (AFCARS Data and Courtney, Wulczyn, Hislop, and Casey).

37% do not finish high school, nor obtain a GED (Courtney).

Obtain a GED at 6 times the rate of the general population (Casey Family Program).

Experience an average of 7 or more school changes. (Pecora et al. 2003).

Only 1.8% obtain a bachelors degree. (Pecora et al. 2003).



What could I have done to better help you leave your family the first time?

What did you want from me to help you to prepare to leave your new family?

Would you still want to see the family you left behind?

What help did you need to make this return successful?



Drug and Alcohol Treatment Facility Non-Custodial Parent Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) Group Home Foster Care Supervised Independent Living Family of Origin Psychiatric Hospital Kinship Foster Care



Directions: Rate the following living environments in terms of how restrictive it is for a child. Rank order using a 1 to 9 point scale, with 1.0 = LEAST restrictive and 9.0 = MOST restrictive.

Your Rating Residential Environment of the Child 1 Family of Origin

2 Non-Custodial Parent 3 Kinship Foster Care 4 Supervised Independent Living 5 Foster Care 6 Group Home 7 Residential Treatment Facility 8 Drug and Alcohol Treatment Facility 9 Psychiatric Hospital



Forty percent are born premature and/or with low birth weight.

Experience developmental delays 4 to 5 times the rate of the general population.

Have substantially lower grades and test scores, more absences and grade repetitions.

Have increased risk of special needs. (Center for the Study of Social Policy, 2004).



They remain involved in a parenting role with the child.

They are not deprived of their responsibility. It is reassuring to the child. It reinforces parents’ belief that child welfare

professionals view parents as important to them and the children.

It enhances parent/child welfare professional relationship.

It empowers parents.



Increase contact with parents. Secure placements in the family’s neighborhood. Encourage parents’ involvement with substitute

caregiver. Encourage substitute caregivers to contact parents

directly. Provide parent/child visit within 48 hours of placement. Encourage discussion of their feelings and preparation

for visit. Provide parents transportation to visits.


Supporting Parents After Placement


Accompany them to the first few visits. Involve parents in making routine and major

decisions about their child. Develop with parents reasonable case plans

ASAP. Develop services that support case plan goals. Provide appropriate services. Document services provided. Reinforce parenting responsibilities. Let them be responsible participants.



Return to Parent Parent(s) resume all legal rights and responsibilities. Court may close case or maintain adjudication of

dependency. Agency may provide follow up service or close case.



Adoption ◦Parental rights are terminated either involuntarily or

through relinquishment.◦Adoptive parent(s) are granted permanently all legal

rights they would have had they been the biological parents.

◦Child is issued a new birth certificate.◦Adoptive parent(s) could receive adoption subsidy.◦Parent(s) are no longer responsible to pay child

support.◦Agency and court will close case.



Permanent Legal Custodianship◦No TPR is required.◦The custodian is granted legal custody of the child.◦The parent(s) typically retain visitation rights.◦Can be financially subsidized (SPLC).◦Parent(s) remain responsible to pay child support.◦Typically, no further agency or court involvement. ◦Parent(s) may petition the court to be reconsidered

as a placement option in the future.



Permanent Placement (with a fit and willing relative)◦Agency maintains legal custody and is responsible for

placement.◦Parent(s) maintain right to participate in case planning

and visitation.◦Parent(s) have the right to ask the court to reconsider

them as placement option at any time. ◦Parent(s) responsible for child support.◦Relative would be eligible for public assistance or foster

home maintenance payment.◦Agency and court will keep the case open until child is

discharged from care.



Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement-APPLA (requires compelling reason and court approval)◦Agency maintains legal custody and is responsible for

placement.◦Parent(s) maintain right to participate in case planning

and visitation.◦Parent(s) have the right to ask the court to reconsider

them as placement option at any time. ◦Parent(s) responsible for child support.◦Agency and court keeps the case open until child is

discharged from care.



Concurrent Planning is a process of working towards family reunification while, at the same time, developing an alternative permanent plan. Planning occurs concurrently rather than sequentially.

In addition to the development of the plan itself, concurrent planning requires that caseworkers work toward reunification of a child with his or her own family while, at the same time, work on the tasks identified in the alternate plan that has been developed to help the child achieve permanency.



Achieve early permanency for children; Decrease children’s length of stay in out of home

care; Reduce the number of moves and disruptions of

relationships; Put the risk of loss on the adults instead of the

child; and Maintain continuity in family and sibling

relationships.



Day One◦ Introduction ◦The Importance of Permanency Planning◦Supporting Children, Parents, and Substitute




Who is responsible for planning visitation in your agency?

Do parents receive transportation support for visits?

Where are visits held? Are visits supervised? By whom? What resources are available to support

visitation? Does the worker discuss parenting

skills/knowledge with the parent after visits?



Is the single most important factor in maintaining the relationship between the child and the parents;

Enhances the child’s emotional well-being; Improves parent’s positive feelings about the

placement; Decreases parents’ worries about their children;

and Is associated with achieving permanency and

decreasing time in care.



Child Safety MUST be assured; Visitation MUST occur frequently; Visits MUST be held in the least restrictive

environment; If safety can be assured, visits should be

unsupervised; Monthly visits must occur between siblings not

placed together in substitute care; and Children should be allowed regular opportunities

to telephone significant people in their lives.



The purpose of the Pennsylvania Independent Living Program is to make every effort possible to reduce or eliminate the instances of homelessness, poverty, delinquent or criminal behavior, and non-marital childbirth and to increase employability, high school graduation rates, enrollment in post-secondary or vocational institutions and successful transition to adulthood.



A system of services and supports that empowers youth and young adults to reach their fullest potential.



Education Employment Housing Life Skills Prevention Support



Careful safety assessments Attention to the CPP objectives Attention to both permanency plans Creativity



Day One◦ Introduction ◦The Importance of Permanency Planning◦Supporting Children, Parents, and Substitute




Reunification is best. Regular and frequent contact is critical between

child and parents and child and siblings (when not placed together).

Extended family and community support are important.

Early identification of barriers is imperative.



Respect the uniqueness of every family. Individual child rearing methods that represent

human diversity MUST be accepted as long as they promote the child’s health and safety.

Teamwork is essential.



Must be made. Don’t leave court without it! Unless “The parent has subjected the child to aggravated

circumstances as defined by state law and the court orders that efforts do not need to be made.”



Reunification should be considered when:◦Completion of treatment and successful change in

overall caregiver functioning;

OR◦Sustainable progress toward enhancing protective

capacities and the ability to implement an in-home safety plan.



A reunification recommendation should be made to the court when each of the safety threats can be determined to be ameliorated by one of the following:◦Progress toward enhancement of diminished

protective capacities is occurring;◦Change or adjustment to circumstances that created

the threats has occurred; and◦An in-home safety plan can be implemented.



Progress Made during Review Period◦Crystal got a job.

◦Crystal has learned and demonstrated age appropriate expectations for her children through parenting classes.

◦Crystal completed detox and inpatient treatment. She goes to aftercare, including NA meetings and had a sponsor.

◦Crystal and James attended most of the scheduled visits with Carley.

◦Carley is developing increased trust with Crystal.

◦Child’s relatives have on-going positive contact with child.



Circumstances and Concerns During The Review Period◦Crystal has not completed parenting classes.◦Crystal’s finances are limited.◦James was not approved through the ICPC home

study.◦James’ housing is still not stable.◦James referred himself for Section 8 housing. ◦James lost one of his jobs.◦James is on a waiting list for a psychiatric

evaluation.






◦Crystal attended most of scheduled visits with Christian.

◦Christian has an IEP for his learning disability and is now less withdrawn.




Circumstances and Concerns During The Review Period◦Crystal has not completed parenting classes.◦Crystal’s finances are limited.◦Michael Johnson has stated he cannot parent

Christian.◦Michael Johnson has not maintained contact with

the agency or Christian.






◦Crystal attended most of scheduled visits with Cameron.

◦Cameron does not exhibit developmental delays at this time.




Circumstances and Concerns During The Review Period◦Crystal has not completed parenting classes.◦Crystal’s finances are limited. ◦Colin has not maintained contact with the agency or

his child. ◦Colin will be incarcerated for 14 months.◦Colin has not participated in services.



Includes formal progress reports from service providers;

Progress and goal changes that were discussed with family;

Case activities and progress, or lack thereof; and Be prepared: the parent’s and child’s attorney may

challenge you!



Up to 22% become homeless from the day they leave care. (AFCARS Data and Courtney, Wulczyn, Hislop, and Casey).

37% do not finish high school, nor obtain a GED (Courtney).

Obtain a GED at 6 times the rate of the general population (Casey Family Program).

Experience an average of 7 or more school changes. (Pecora et al. 2003).

Only 1.8% obtain a bachelors degree. (Pecora et al. 2003).



Positive relationships that are intended to last a lifetime.

Formal or informal. Can provide for emotional, physical, mental and

spiritual well being on a permanent basis.


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