PERMANENCE :the word brings to mind thoughts of for-ever, safety, security – an attachment –between a child and a caring adult.We have learned through research andstudy of human development that toevolve into a psychologically healthyhuman being, a child must have a rela-tionship with at least one adult who isnurturing, protective, and fosters trustand security. We also know that opti-mal child development occurs when thespectrum of needs are consistently metover an extended period.1 We alsoknow that having this connection withan adult who is devoted to and loves achild unconditionally, is critical to help-ing a child overcome the stress andtrauma of abuse and neglect.However, the reality is that children infoster care, who have been victims ofabuse and neglect move—a lot. Whenthis day-to-day consistency is lost, theemotional consequences of multipleplacements or disruptions furtherimpacts the child’s ability to trust andlove. Repeated moves compound theadverse consequences that stress andinadequate parenting have on thechild's development and ability tocope. Adults cope with impermanence

by building on an accrued sense of self-reliance and by anticipating and plan-ning for a time of greater constancy.Children, however, especially whenyoung, have limited life experience onwhich to establish their sense of self. Inaddition, their sense of time focusesexclusively on the present and pre-cludes meaningful understanding of"temporary" versus "permanent" oranticipation of the future. For youngchildren, periods of weeks or monthsare not comprehensible. Disruption ineither place or with a caregiver for evenone1 day may be stressful. The youngerthe child and the more extended theperiod of uncertainty or separation, themore detrimental it will be to the child'swell-being.2

It has taken the child welfare systemover three decades to fully appreciateand then implement key policy andpractice reforms that emphasize per-manence as a fundamental require-ment for the healthy development of achild. This revolution has resulted inrefinedevolved definitions of best prac-tice and a challenge to policy makersand practitioners to do a better job forchildren.

Achieving Permanencefor Children in theChild WelfareSystem:Pioneering Possibilities:Amidst Daunting Challengesby Lorrie L. Lutz, MPP

Fall 2003

Permanency Planning TodayPermanency Planning Today

More than ever before in the history of child welfare practice –the emphasis is on maintaining or creating permanent relation-

ships and connections between children and caring adults.

HOW ARE WE DOING?On January 25, 2000, the Department of Health andHuman Services (DHHS) published a final rule in theFederal Register to establish a new approach to monitoringState child welfare programs. Under the rule, whichbecame effective March 25, 2000, States are being By theend of March 2004 all States will have been assessed forsubstantial conformity with certain Federal requirements forchild protective, foster care, adoption, family preservationand family support, and independent living services. TheChild and Family Service Reviews are assessing the follow-ing indicators:

SafetyChildren are, first and foremost, protected fromabuse and neglect.Children are safely maintained in their homeswhenever possible and appropriate

PermanencyChildren have permanency and stability in theirliving situations.The continuity of family relationships and connec-tions is preserved for children.

Family & Child Well-BeingFamilies have enhanced capacity to provide fortheir children's needs.Children receive appropriate services to meettheir educational needs.Children receive adequate services to meet theirphysical and mental health needs.

These reviews have identified the need to focus on place-ment stability in a number of States. In an effort to identifypractices that can address this concern at the state andlocal levels, the NRCFCPP, at the request of the Children'sBureau, has contacted States to discuss related activities. Afew of the States' current strategies to address placementstability are presented in this article.

GEORGIA: FIRST PLACEMENTBEST PLACEMENT

First Placement/Best Placement is Georgia’s plan to reformtheir foster care system. When children enter foster care,both the child and family receive a comprehensive assess-ment, including medical, psychological and educationalevaluations. The standards for the critical assessments andlevels of foster care services were developed with the help

of the private sector in an inclusive planning process. Theassessments assist caseworkers to place the child in themost appropriate setting. Through public/private partner-ships, Georgia Division of Family & Children Services(DFCS) has been developing a pool of specialized homesthat will be available for children who have mental, emo-tional or physical problems.

Since March 1998, five counties have successfully imple-mented First Placement/Best Placement. The five demon-stration sites are Bibb, Colquitt, DeKalb, Screven andWhitfield counties. In January 1999, two additional siteswere added. During FY 1999, DFCS is contracting withother agencies that can provide specialized homes for themost troubled children. This expanded network of homeswill provide placements for all types of children.

Training to Support theFirst Placement/Best Placement InitiativeThe state of Georgia is committed to training all providersand county staff in order to ensure the success of FirstPlacement Best Placement. The training was designed forprivate providers and DFCS workers to receive the sametechnical information on all tools, standards, and policies ofthe First Placement, Best Placement program and includedsuch content as completion of the Child and AdolescentFunctional Assessment Scale CAFAS, child assessment andbasic issues such as access of funds and transportation.

Wrap Around Support Wrap Around services have recently been offered to assistthe reunification process. The services include but are notlimited to in-home intensive treatment, in-home case man-agement, and crisis intervention. Wrap around servicemonies can be used to pay for counseling of the foster par-ent, counseling of the parent who has a child in foster careand counseling of a parent and/or child when the child isin after care.

Focusing on AdolescentsThe adolescent component of the First Placement, BestPlacement assessment is part of the comprehensive assess-ment program to successfully guide young people (ages 14to 21) from foster care to self-sufficiency. The observationsand recommendations derived from the assessment arepresented at the Multi-Disciplinary Team staffing (MDT).The comprehensive assessment is designed to be complet-ed in partnership with teens so they can identify areas ofstrength and challenges as they move toward transition. Inaddition, collateral interviews are completed with parents,caseworkers and/or teachers.

S

P

WB

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Evaluation of First Placement Best Placement DFCS is working with Emory University to evaluate theeffectiveness of the plan. Preliminary data from thedemonstration sites show that children are spending lesstime in foster care, with fewer moves in the foster care sys-tem. One out of every four children is able to return to thebirth family within six months. Of the children who havenot returned to their families, almost eight out of ten remainstable in their first placement. The demonstration siteswere able to develop 82 new foster homes.

SOUTH DAKOTA:ENHANCED COMMUNICATION

South Dakota decided to focus on the core of placementstability—the quality of the relationship between theagency and its caregivers. In part the poor retention offoster families was attributed to the lack of meaningful andongoing dialogue between agency staff and foster fami-lies. Poor retention means the disruption of child place-ments. While South Dakota always required foster fami-lies to provide monthly reports to the agency, all agreedthat they were not viewed as important—not by theagency staff and not by the foster family. The informationprovided was cursory and did nothing to improve thecommunication and understanding between the staff andthe foster families. In an effort to improve communicationand the agency’s understanding of the foster families per-spectives, experiences and concerns, the monthly reportform has undergone a major revision. The informationbeing requested is more substantive, addresses both childwell being as well as foster family stressors and providesopportunities for foster families to share their perceptionson the stability of the placement. Foster families and linestaff have been trained on the purpose and importance ofthe new reporting requirements and format, on how tocomplete the form. Policy is also being crafted around theresponsibilities of the staff and supervisors when the reportindicates a potential disruption in a placement. Theexpectation is that the social worker will visit the fosterfamily within 24 hours and seek to find ways to providesupport, respite and encouragement, either through thesocial worker, a community based provider or anotherresource family. According to Duane Jenner, foster carespecialist, “this innovative model of crisis innovation couldresult in fewer disruptions in placement and a more effec-tive partnership between agency staff and foster families.We are hopeful that foster families will see this as a directresponse to concerns they have voiced about our lack ofresponsiveness to their needs.”

MISSISSIPPI:NO DISMISS CONTRACT CLAUSE

Between 1995 and 1999 the state of Mississippi becameincreasingly interested in the idea of creating a contractu-al clause that eliminates the ability of certain providers toeither refuse to take a child or reject a child based on thechild’s behavior. After numerous conversations withproviders and line staff, in early 2002 the state imple-mented their NO Decline/No Dismiss Policy forTherapeutic Foster Care or Therapeutic Group Homes.The contract stipulates that if a child is determined to beeligible for the designated NO Decline/NO Dismiss serv-ice, then the provider must take the child into care andthey must maintain the care until it is determined that thislevel of care is no longer required. Gail Young, Director ofthe Placement Unit for the state suggests that one of thethings that the state might have done better during theimplementation phase of this contract, was to providetraining to these select providers on ways to meet theneeds of the very challenging children ending up in care.The child’s complex needs in the areas of mental healthand developmental disabilities are creating increaseddemands on providers. Previously, when faced with chal-lenges of the child's behavior or care needs, theseproviders would have asked that the social workerremove the child from their care. Today they are facedwith the requirement to provide care without some of theskills necessary at the line staff level. Training would haveassisted in the transition to this contractual arrangement.

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While Ms. Young, is the first to admit that there are loop-holes in the policy and that it is by no means working per-fectly, there have been some very important by-productsof this contracting model that all agree are improving sta-bility of placements for children.

Some of these healthy byproducts include:★ Frequent and consistent communicationbetween the state and providers hasresulted in the stabilization of place-ments that were very vulnerable, andopened up communication be-tween the state and providers for arenewed commitment to partner-ship and problem resolution.★ Identification of the trainingneeds of the provider,★ Triage in response to a"heads up" phone call from theprovider prior to removal of achild in an effort to avert a place-ment disruption through respite,additional supports, and increasedagency involvement. (This “headsup” phone call is a vast improvementover the calls of the past where theprovider simply said “come take thischild”).

Overall, the change in contracting is improving dialogueand increasing the quality of the working relationshipbetween providers and the state. “I have to believe thatthis will in time impact the stability of placements” indi-cates Ms. Young.

VERMONT:SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT

ON THE PROBLEMPrior to the CFSR, staff from central office conducted anintensive and comprehensive statewide self audit. Fromthis self assessment they learned that children who entercustody after the age of five are most likely to move. Thefollowing were identified as the major reasons for place-ment disruptions:★ A high percentage of older children are entering carebecause they have exhausted the community servicesavailable to them or they have intensive needs that can-not be met through in-home services. Thus, meeting theincreasingly more challenging needs of these older fosterchildren is placing additional burdens on Vermont's sub-

stitute care system.★ Insufficient or lack of timely assessment of children'sneeds at the time of entry into care. For example, childrenare sometimes placed in foster homes when a higher-level placement resource would be more appropriate.

★ Inadequate information regarding children's specialneeds at the time of placement.

★ Confusion about the protocol to be used byfoster families to access support services.

Vermont attacked the problem headon by communicating the results ofthe self assessment to the follow-ing key state stakeholders includ-ing Senior. Leaders, Social WorkSupervisors, Vermont’s Fosterand Adoptive ParentAssociation, State AgencyPartners and Community BasedPartners. By communicating theresults of the self assessment

early in the process, Vermont wasable to capture the attention of

those who had the opportunity andpower to make a difference.

According to Shaun Donahue,Community Services Unit Manager for the

state, “ The key to this phase of the changeprocess was getting the support of the middle

managers and the foster parents. Without either of thosegroups we were not going to impact our data.” The statebegan this process by holding a mandatory meeting forregional directors and supervisors. Each left the meetingunderstanding that improved performance was a highpriority. Donahue is convinced that letting people knowthat the state had a problem in placement stability, andbringing key leaders together to share ideas and to “own”the problem, has been the key ingredients to systemchange.

The state then initiated sending quarterly reports describingsuccess in placement stability called PIP Points to every staffmember in the state. These reports provide a touchstone tostaff about progress that has been made in stabilizingplacements and ensuring permanence as much as possiblein the life of a child. Finally the state implemented a care-giver responsibility contract. This new tool clarifies the roleof the caregiver in ensuring stability for the child. Since theCFSR –for three quarters in a row the state of Vermont hasmet their goals of placement stability. Clearly this multi-faceted approach has helped for the state to move in theright direction.

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CONNECTICUT:VISITATION CENTERS

The state of Connecticut and its provider community areimplementing very innovative practices within the regionalvisitation centers of the state. Visitation centers are beingfunded in all regions of the state. Lynn Gobbard, ClinicalCoordinator of RKIDS—the New Haven visitation center—described their Center and its practices. “When a familyis referred to the RKIDS Visitation Center, I spend a signifi-cant amount of time in person and/or on the phone withthe DCFS worker trying to understand the dynamics of thecase.” Ms. Gobbard poses a series of questions thatwhen answered, serve as the foundation for the clinicalwork of the center:

★ Where is the case in the permanency timeframe? LegalProcess?★ Are there any extended family members that have beeninvolved or helpful?★ How many placements has the child had to date?★ What has been the role played by the foster family fromthe worker’s perspective? ★ Is the foster family expecting to adopt this child if thechild becomes free for adoption? ★ Has the DCFS worker had the conversation with the fos-ter family about the possibilities of adoption?

In turn, Ms. Gobbard has an in-depth conversation withthe foster family, seeking to understand their perception ofthe case, their role to date, their attitude about the childand the birth family, their willingness to work with the birthfamily, and how they view their interaction with the visita-tion center. “These conversations allow us to better under-stand if the foster family will be a support or a potentialhindrance to the reunification process, their commitment tothe child, and their understanding of where this case isheaded.”

Next, RKIDS schedules a meeting between the visitationcenter staff, DCFS social worker and the birth Mom. Thismeeting is used to plan for the visitation and to gain clari-ty from the social worker regarding what the birth Momhas to do to regain custody of her children. “It is critical tomake it very clear what everyone expects of the birthMom. In well over 95% of the families we serve, when weask the birth Mom what needs to happen for her childrento return home, she cannot clearly explain the behaviors oractivities required.”

RKIDS has also established support groups for the birthfamilies. These groups are incredibly powerful—with

women supporting one another emotionally, giving eachother rides to the center, and firmly confronting one anoth-er during the group sessions. To date over 90% of thefamilies are visiting consistently.

ARIZONA: A COMMUNITYRESPITE NETWORK

The need for quality, consistent respite care continuallyplagues the child welfare system. But in most communities,such care is a patchwork of formal and informal arrange-ments that may consist of in-home babysitting by a volun-teer or trained service provider, drop-in visits to a day careor therapeutic child development center, short-term staysin a residential facility, child enrollment in a camp or recre-ational program, or foster parents providing respite for oneanother. 3 According to Susan Abagnale of Casey FamilyServices in Tuscon Arizona “ The need is so great. Wecompleted many surveys of nearly every population andin every one of these surveys respite is at the top of list ofcaregiver identified needs. They tell us that it is “respitethat makes the difference”, “ respite is what has made itpossible for us to continue”.

In Tucson Arizona a group of 15 respite care providersattempted to raise the bar on the availability, quality andvisibility of respite care. Each runs a program that serves aparticular population, and services are dependent onwhatever regulations and policies may be required by itsfunding source(s). Approximately two years ago thisgroup came together and started to identify barriers andtry to assess if there was any commitment to improve theentire system of care. It turned out that there was tremen-dous commitment and energy. The agencies have takenparticular care to identify both practice and policy chal-lenges that they face in developing a program that willeffectively meet the needs of their community. The issuesthis group continues to tackle include: ★ Funding;★ Building a sufficient quality pool of providers;★ Sharing information, providers, or resources;★ Meeting the needs of diverse client populations;★ Requiring different skill requirements of providersdepending on the clients served;★ Resolving insurance liability issues (such as child safety,loss and damage, provider protection, and agency pro-tection);★ Overcoming family reluctance to use respite services;building a confidence in the respite pool;★ Setting standards for quality respite training –thusallowing for the interchange of training resource betweenproviders.

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According to Ms. Abagnale “We have had tangibleresults …with little to no money.” We identified cross train-ing opportunities so that a respite provider of an elderlyindividual could serve as a respite provider for a child witha disability—and the parents could proceed with confi-dence and a good reference. We have found familieswho wanted to be respite care providers…and becauseour training was two months away, we were able to sendthe family to another provider who had a training in thenext week…knowing that the quality of the training wasthe same as ours. This meant that a family under stresshad a respite option much earlier than they might have...”

The Community Respite Care Network is seeking to raisethe bar on the quality of respite throughout the entire com-munity. They are working on a standard of excellence thatcan serve as the foundation for all respite care providers.It is a significant challenge for families to recruit, interviewand recognize the skill set required to be good respitecaregivers. This is a vulnerable situation for families. Iftheir child has been through trauma such as abuse or neg-lect situation — it is all the more fear-provoking. If thereare health issues — these require special skills sets. “Wewant to help alleviate the stress of these choices and toenable families to have tested options…thus minimizingthe number of child placement disruptions.” 4

CALIFORNIA:KINSHIP CAREGIVERS SUPPORTCalifornia’s Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP) pro-vides community-based family support services to relativecaregivers and the dependent children placed in theirhomes by the juvenile court and to those who are at riskof dependency or delinquency. The KSSP also pro-vides post-permanency services to relativecaregivers who have become the legalguardian or adoptive parent of former-ly dependent children.California’s KSSPKinshipSupport Services Program isa public private partnership thatbegan over 12 years ago to meetthe growing and unmet needs ofgrandmothers attending supportgroups who were caring for theirgrandchildren. This was the first pro-gram in the nation to provide compre-hensive, private-sector support servicesto relative caregiver families. The pro-gram hired elderly African American

and Latino grandparents from the communities where thecaregivers lived. The success of this “paraprofessional”model has been overwhelming and serves as the founda-tion of the program. With training and supervision theseparaprofessional community workers effectively link,monitor and provide advice to caregivers, assuming therole of the second and third generations in the informalextended family support group system. A full time com-munity worker carries a caseload of 20 families. Theyhave direct contact with caregivers, visit their home atleast monthly and make at least weekly phone calls. Theyaccompany caregivers to school meetings, doctors’appointments, provide transportation for purchasing gro-ceries or other tasks, and generally give support in timesof need. Today for kin caregivers the program providesan array of services including but in not limited to:

★ Respite and Recreation ★ Emergency Response★ One-On-One Peer Mentoring★ Parenting Education★ Advocacy★ Health Care Services and Referrals★ Summer Camping Programs for Youth★ Computer Lab★ Housing, Clothing and Basic Needs Assistance, ★ Long Term Planning for Children

CONCLUSIONChildren need permanent caring relationships with adultswho love them. The challenge of the public child welfaresystems is to find innovative ways to achieve this perma-nence. Barriers of limited flexibility in funding streams,

mistrust and poor communication between foster par-ents and child welfare social workers, lack of avail-

able options for children, lack of respiteoptions, and the increasing number of

children with significant emotional andbehavioral health issues make

achieving permanence adaunting challenge. Yet

there have been states andproviders throughout the countrywho have found ways to be inno-vative and creative, and change

the patterns of instability and lackof permanence for children. These

sites provide hope and encourage-ment that as a system we can do better

for those children and families we serve.

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★ Make permanence a high priority! ★

★ Provide data to staff regularly to let them know the results of their efforts—celebrate improvements in permanency outcomes. ★

★ Find one way—just one way— to improve the communication and relationships betweenfoster families and social workers—this relationship is key to improved placement stability! ★

★ Change the conversation about the purpose of foster care – ensure that all foster familiesunderstand Concurrent Planning—and their role in reunification. ★

★ Change the focus of the assessment— safety and risk are just the first steps—what do children and families really need to stay together safely. ★

★ Train staff on how to conduct good family centered assessmentsthat inform foster care placement. ★

★ Provide respite—just do it! ★

★ Modify contract language, and train providers on the importanceof permanence—they must be part of the solution. ★

★ Search for relatives—as if they were your own…and then support them in the task of caring for their kin. ★

★ Honestly evaluate how the role of paraprofessionals can assist this process! ★

This entire report can be found on our website at:www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp

1 Liebernan, AF, Zeanah, CH.Disorders of attachment in infancy.

Infant Psychiatry. 1995.

2 Werner EE, Smith, RS.Vulnerable but Invincible:

A longitudinal Study of Resilient Childrenand Youth. New York, NY

Adams, Bannister, Cox. 1982.

3 CWLA Children’s Voice(May-June 2002)

Care for the Caregivers.

4 Personal communicationwith Susan Abagnale.

(February 2003).

Semi-Annual Reception and Lecture

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On April 30th, our reception and lec-ture series focused on strengths based per-spectives in working with children, youth andfamilies. The featured speakers were DennisSaleeby, professor of Social Welfare at theSchool of Social Welfare, University ofKansas and the 2002-2003 Lucy and HenryMoses professor here at the Hunter School ofSocial Work and Jane Nestel-Patt, Presidentand CEO of SPIN USA.

Professor Saleeby is known for hiswork on using the strengths-basedapproach to social work practice. Hispresentation addressed developing afuller biopsychosocial understanding ofmental health and serious mental healthdisorders and the appropriate tools forassessment and help, strategies and theo-ries for building community in economical-ly, and socially distressed areas and cor-recting the deficit or problem-basedapproach to social work practice toinclude inherent resilience, capacity,strength of individual and families and thecommunities they live in.

SPIN video home training wasdeveloped in the Netherlands over 20 yearsago as a strategy to improve the quality ofparent-child and caregiver-child relationshipsand maximize the healthy social, emotional,and cognitive development of children. Theaudience viewed a short video on how SPINempowers parents to improve their day-to-day interactions with their children. Ms.Nestle-Patt helped the audience appreciatehow these interactions are the key to thehealth social, emotional, and cognitive devel-opment of their children.

Roosevelt HousePublic Policy Forum

Hunter College acquired the former homesof Franklin, Eleanor, and Sara Roosevelt at47-49 East 65th Street in 1942. The doubletownhouse was used for student and col-lege activities until 1992 when it was closedin need of renovation. Under the leadershipof Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab,planning has begun to modernize the build-ing for the Roosevelt House Public PolicyCenter. The Center will support projectsthat reflect the ideals, programs, and

achievements of Franklin and EleanorRoosevelt. These include efforts to promotesocial and economic justice, advance thecause of human rights, and support innova-tive government initiatives. Until construc-tion is completed, Roosevelt House PublicPolicy Forums will be hosted by various divi-sions of Hunter College. Roosevelt House isa New York City Landmark and is listed onthe National Register of Historic Places.

On October 1st Peggy McIntosh wasthe guest lecturer at the Roosevelt HousePublic Policy Forum sponsored by thePresident of Hunter College Jennifer Raab.The lecture, held at the Hunter CollegeSchool of Social Work was preceded by areception. Dr. McIntosh, Associate Director,Wellesley College Center for Research forWomen, presented on Unpacking theInvisible Knapsack: Power and Privilege inDesigning Public Policy. The audience ofstudents, faculty and staff, policy and childwelfare professionals was challenged touse the information shared on advantage-whether it be race or sex to reconstructpower systems on a broader base.

Foster FamiliesWORKING WITH

Birth FamiliesTO HELP MOVE

CHILDRENTO TIMELY

Permanencyby Jane Elmore

What is the goal offoster families working

with birth families?

Permanency for the children as soonas possible. Working cooperativelywith birth families can speed theprocess of permanency, not just forreunification, but for adoption as well.When foster families and birth familiesare working with the caseworker aspart of a team to do what is best forthe children, they have a commongoal. The foster family is helping thebirth family to be reunited with theirchildren. If the birth family believesthat everyone is helping them, butthey can’t be reunited with their chil-dren, it becomes easier for them toparticipate in making other perma-nency plans. Ideally, birth parents willbe able to participate in developing apermanency plan for their child thatincludes surrendering their children foradoption, rather than going to court toterminate the parental rights.

The adults managethe relationships.

When the foster parents, birth parents,and caseworker don’t work together,the child ends up in the middle “man-aging the relationships” between theadults. Think about the child who knows

his birth parents and foster parents dis-like each other, and maybe the case-worker doesn’t like either one of them.The child must monitor what he says toany of them about any of the rest ofthem! What an untenable position toplace any child in, but especially a childthat has all the problems already forcedon him by virtue of being a part of thechild welfare system.

If the adults work together with a strongsense of purpose to do what is best forthe child - the child sees this, and hedoesn’t have the pressure of trying tomanage the adults. The adults are incharge and they manage the relation-ships with the child, the foster family,the birth family, and the caseworker.Everyone wins, especially the child.

Is this approach forALL foster families& birth families?

A decision must be made if thisapproach is to be used with every fam-ily whose children come into care, or ifit will only be used with families thatare open to the approach and canmake good use of the added time andexpertise of the foster parents.

A similar decision needs to take placeregarding foster parents. Will all foster

parents be required to work extensive-ly with birth parents? What about fos-ter parents who just want to adopt?Will foster parents who provide theseextra supports be compensated fortheir time, as opposed to just beingreimbursed for expenses? Will fosterparents participating in this programbe considered “professional foster par-ents,” and be given special recogni-tion, etc?

What does foster familiesworking with birth families

mean?

Denise Goodman talks about“Bridging the Gap.” (See bibliographyfor contact information.) She has creat-ed a chart that demonstrates a contin-uum of behaviors. It can include indi-rect contact such as sending the child’sreport card with her and providingsnacks on visits, to the birth family andfoster family joining together to cele-brate birthdays and holidays with thechild. It can be a whole range of littlethings and big things that will changeover time as the relationship develops.Sometimes foster parents even becomeadvocates for the birth family.

What may be most heartwarming forthe foster parents who do this work is theappreciation of the children in their care.

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When the foster parents go out of theirway to be nice to their birth parents itmeans a lot to the child. Brenda Weber, afoster parent from Minnesota, who workswith the National Resource Center forSpecial Needs Adoption, talks about onelittle boy she fostered thanking her “forbeing nice to my mom”.

The ultimate example of foster parentsworking with the birth parents is what iscalled “Shared Family Care.” It is whenthe birth family actually moves in with thefoster family. The foster family mentors thebirth family on everything from parentingto budgeting to meal preparation toapartment hunting to any number of otherthings. The birth family maintains respon-sibility for their children. Typically thebirth family lives with the foster family for3 to 6 months and the foster family con-tinues to mentor the family after theymove out and are living on their own.Birth families, foster families, and thecaseworker working as a team is hardwork for everyone.

The foster family may feel frightened,anxious and judgmental. The birth familymay feel suspicious and resentful. Thestaff may feel threatened and fear theywill lose “control“ of the case.

How do we move all of these negativefeelings to a positive, working relation-ship? How do we get birth parents, fosterfamilies, and the caseworker to focus onwhat is best for the child?

Keys to Success

MUTUAL RESPECTfrom everyone to everyone.

********** KNOWLEDGEABLE & EXPERIENCED

caseworker.**********

OPEN DECISION MAKING.Both birth parents and foster parents

stressed that there should be no“premeetings where the real

decisions are made.”**********

FOSTER PARENTSare REALLY part of the team and all

information is shared with them.**********

BIRTH FAMILIESdo not feel judged.

********** PROGRAMS ARE

INTENSE AND SHORT TERM,generally 6 months or less.

********** NEEDED SERVICES

are in place.

Training CanMake It Happen!

What kind of training? The amount andkind of training to be developed dependson how intensively you want the familiesto work together, and current practice.

Derith McGann, Director of Foster andAdoption Services for Connecticut, whohas been recognized for her work withfoster families says “agencies need todecide if foster parents are really part ofthe team, or are they just contractedproviders who should do as we say.” Formany states, having foster parents workwith birth parents in a significant way willbe a major transition for staff and fosterparents. This needs to be respected andaddressed.

The approach of foster parents workingwith birth parents should be integratedinto both the initial and ongoing fosterparent training, and the initial and ongo-ing staff and supervisor training. If neces-sary, develop specialized training for

already licensed foster parents andexperienced staff. Train staff and fosterparents together when possible.

Use foster parents, birth parents, and staffwho have done this work successfully toassist with the training. Have them talkabout how they came to be able to dothis work and the value of it. Also askthose who have made mistakes and havelearned from those mistakes to talk abouttheir mistakes and what they could havedone differently.

Have staff who have done this work suc-cessfully available to counsel and mentorother staff new to this approach. It isimportant for caseworkers to be comfort-able and supportive of the relationshipsbetween foster parents and birth parentsas they develop. They must be able to pro-vide assistance when there are theinevitable rough patches along the way.

Ensure everyone understands that thegoal is to move children to permanencymore quickly; not just reunification, butadoption as well. Stress the positiveimpact on the child of everyone workingtogether.

Training Should Include:

wWhy children come into care. Includeactual data from the agency as well asa discussion about the causal factors ofchildren being abused and neglected.This will lead to the other discussionpoints below.

wDeveloping empathy with the life situ-ations that brought birth parents to thepoint that they have abused and neg-lected their children. This includeseverything from the birth parents ownexperiences of being parented, to therole played by addictions and mentalillness..

wHow domestic violence is related tochild abuse. Participants need tounderstand why women stay in violentrelationships, and why they go backafter they leave.

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w Understanding alcohol and otherdrug abuse, including how to spotactive drug use, and its impact on aparents ability to parent. Alsoinclude prenatal drug abuse and itseffect on the infant and developingchild.

w Recognizing and appreciating theimpact of mental health issues, aswell as the importance of treatmentand medication, and the role ofheredity.

w The role of other professionals. Thisincludes the children’s and parent’stherapists, the addictions treatmentstaff, the domestic violence staff,teachers, and others. Foster parentsand staff need to understand how tobest make use of the expertise ofthese other professionals as theywork with the birth parents.

w Learning how to be non-judgmen-tal. Both staff and foster parentsneed to be able to be supportive ofbirth parents.

w Explaining mentoring and how to doit in a way that will allow the birthparents to maintain their dignity.

w Understanding the birth parentsmixed feelings about having theirchildren returned home. Talk aboutthe role foster parents can play if thechildren are returned home, andhow they can continue to mentor thebirth parents.

wHow to work together as a team .Determine the rules for communica-tion, including what will be commu-nicated. Thrash out what authorityeach team member has. Discusshow the team will learn to trust eachother. Determine how problems anddisagreements will be resolved.

Foster parents and staff must receivetraining if they are to do quality workwith birth families and each other.

The First Meetingbetween Foster Parents,Birth Parents &Staff

This meeting is important. It is the first stepin the development of these relationships.Both the Oregon Dept of Human Servicesand the Michigan Family IndependenceAgency have created excellent materialsto guide their staff, foster parents andbirth parents through these meetings andbeyond. (See bibliography for contactinformation.)

Hold the first meeting within a week of thechild(ren) coming into care. Attendeesinclude the birth parents, foster parents,and the caseworker. Including the child orchildren depends on their age and maturi-ty, the issues that brought them into care, ifthey want to come, and the feelings of therest of the invitees about them coming.

Make sure the time and location of themeeting works for everyone. The first signof mutual respect is for the caseworker toset a time that is convenient for EVERY-ONE, not just the caseworker. This maymean an evening or a weekend meeting.It may mean the caseworker drives thefarthest to the meeting. Frequently thesefirst meeting are held in the office, whichis fine if that is seen as a neutral location.The office may be very intimidating to thebirth parents. Asking for their suggestionsas to where to meet is a great way toshow respect for them. Address every-one’s transportation needs.

Set a time limit for the meetings of nolonger than 30 minutes. A time limit keepseveryone focused and the anxiety down.

Develop an agenda and review it witheach participant and review their role inthe meeting. Stress that the meeting is tofocus on how all of them, the foster par-ent, birth parent, and caseworker canwork together to best meet the needs ofthe child.

Martha Proulx, Program Specialist for theMaine Bureau of Child and Family

Services, and President of the NationalAssociation of State Foster CareManagers stresses the importance ofworking with birth parents so that theyclearly understand what is expected ofthem in working with the agency and fos-ter parents. They must understand theroles of everyone and the appropriateboundaries. For example, that it is notappropriate to ask the foster parents formoney, or to not follow the rules set bythe agency regarding visits, etc.

Agenda for the Meeting:

The same general agenda will be usedeach time there is a “first meeting”between the foster parents, birth parents,and caseworker. The agenda needs tobe very focused and child centered.

◆ Caseworker welcomes everyone andthanks them for coming. The rules ofconfidentiality are reviewed. Groundrules are discussed, such as treatingeveryone with respect, being honest,and that all decisions will be madeopenly.

◆ Caseworker invites the birth parents totalk about their children. This gives thebirth parents the opportunity to shareinformation with the foster family, suchas the child’s food likes and dislikes,bedtimes, favorite toys, etc.

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◆ Foster parents can ask questions, and share information abouttheir family.

◆ Close the meeting by insuring that immediate and practical mat-ters such as visits with the parents, doctors’ appointments, andcounseling sessions are clarified.

You Are On Your Way!

Foster parents working with birth parents can be a positive experi-ence for everyone, and is the most beneficial situation for the child.It will allow the child to move to permanency more quickly. It putsthe adults, not the child, in the position of managing the relation-ships among the adults, and allows everyone to focus on meetingthe best interests of the child.

References

“Icebreaker” brochure and associated materials. Oregon Dept. ofHuman Services. Carolyn Krohn at carolyn.krohn@state.or.us

“F.O.C.U.S. Meeting Training Agenda”. Dawn Walker, MichiganFamily Independence Agency at walkerd4@michigan.gov

“Tips on Promoting Birth Parent – Foster Parent Teams”from New York State Citizen’s Coalition for Children, Inc. atwww.nyscc.org/linkfamily/Realities/caseworkertip.htm

“Bridging the Gap Between Resource Families and Birth Families”by Denise Goodman at DAGPhD@aol.com

Dougherty, S. (2001) “Foster Parents as Mentor to Birth Parents,”Toolbox No. 2, Expanding the Role of Foster Parents in AchievingPermanency. Washington, DC. Child Welfare League of America.Reprinted by special permission of the CWLA.http://www.cwla.org

“Shared Family Care” from The National Resource Centerfor Abandoned Infants Resource Center athttp://aia.berkeley.edu/projects/sfc/htm

TOP 10 Reasonsto Adopt a Teenager

1. No diapers to change.

2. We sleep through the night.

3. We will be ready to move outsooner . . . but we can still visit.

4. You don't just get a child,you get a friend.

5. We will keep you up to datewith the latest fashions.

6. No more carpools –we can drive you places.

7. No bottles, formula orburp rags required.

8. We can help out aroundthe house.

9. We can learn from you.

10. We will teach you how torun your computer!

Concept developed by theOklahoma Youth Advisory Board, 2000

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LIGHTING THE FIRE OF URGENCY:Families Lost & Found in America’s Child Welfare System

by Kevin A. Campbell, Sherry Castro, Nicole Houston, Don Koenig,Terry Roberts, John Rose, MD & Mary Stone Smith

Catholic Community Services of Western Washington set outto learn what it would take for children and youth with com-plex needs living in the foster care and children’s mentalhealth systems to have connections with those who caredmost about them: parents, relatives, and others that lovedthem. The children and youth initially targeted by this effortwere those who were living in foster or group care or at immi-nent risk of psychiatric hospitalization in Pierce County,Washington.

A KEY QUESTIONWhat sort of framework and technologies would be neces-sary to overcome the systemic barriers that block the abilityfor children and adolescents living in out-of-home care tomaintain or re-establish contact and relationships with thosethat love them?

THE STRATEGYLook inside and outside of child welfare and children’s men-tal health service traditions for examples of extraordinaryframeworks that could improve safety, well-being, and per-manency outcomes for children in out-of-home care.

SOME EXTRAORDINARY FRAMEWORKS

The International Red Cross“Armed conflict and natural disaster leave millions of peoplearound the globe in urgent need of humanitarian assistanceevery year. Adding to the physical losses, the confusion andchaos surrounding war and natural disaster often separatesfamilies just when they need each other most. Tragically, whenfamilies and loved ones are separated by war or disaster, theirsuffering is greater. But, through the strength of the Red CrossMovement and the work of trained volunteers at national soci-eties around the world, including the American Red Cross,families reconnect.” (Source: International Red Cross)

Imagine you are sent to the border of a country experiencingwar, famine or disaster. One hundred and fifty thousandmen, women and children of all ages are headed for the bor-der to seek safety, food, water, shelter and medical care. Youand your team have three days and nights to prepare thenecessary provisions for these life-sustaining needs, or watchan even greater calamity unfold before you. A completelyoverwhelming experience, yet every year in places aroundthe world the International Red Cross responds to just such sit-uations as do many other government and non governmentorganizations.

There is no choice; it simply must be done. Because of thisimperative, people just like you and me have developedframeworks, strategies, and tools to make it possible. Evenmore remarkable, given the scale and speed of the response,the Red Cross gives equal priority to providing personnel andequipment to interview those affected and store informationabout their relatives. This is done to help family membersreconnect as soon as possible after the tragedy. The drivingforce is the understanding that the family’s best chance forrecovery lies with one another, in a situation where civil gov-ernment may have limited ability to help.

The Church of Jesus Christof Latter Day Saints

Family ancestry is an important part of individual, family andspiritual life. Through the use of the church’s extensive data-bases, search procedures and a world wide network ofFamily Resource Centers members of the church and otherscan work to extensively identify and document their familyancestry.

Through personal communication with church members,including members of the Ogden, Utah Department of Childrenand Family Services it is estimated that the average Americanhas conservatively between 100-300 living relatives.

Several of those interviewed spoke of family gatherings inOgden that filled small soccer stadiums.

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The American FamilyAccording to the US Census Bureau 2000 Census,

Of 71 Million Children in the US:98% Grow up with Family2% Foster Care Institutions

“In 1999, 2.3 million children, or 90 percent of children notliving with their parents, lived with relatives, according to the1999 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF). The vastmajority (1.8 million) of these placements were private, with-out child welfare involvement. Data from the Adoption andFoster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS) from 49states (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) thatwere able to provide data, show that in 1999 kin were car-ing for 151,864 children in foster care, 26 percent of all fostercare children (US DHHS 2001b).” (The Continuing Evolutionof State Kinship Care Policies Author(s): Amy Jantz, RobGeen, Roseana Bess, Cynthia Andrews, Victoria Russell)

LESSONS FROM THEFRAMEWORKS REVIEWED

. It is possible to respond to the immediate crisis while pre-serving and expanding on information and connectionsthat will enable the restoration of self-sufficiency.

. Barriers of time and distance can be overcome with aflexible and scalable organizational design.

. Government interventions are temporary, limited in scopeand are not intended to supplant the individual or family’sability to care for themselves.

. The typical American child living in out-of-home care has100 to 300 living relatives.

. Technologies exist to extensively identify and documentthe relatives of children living in out of home care.

. The early identification of relatives, including non-custo-dial fathers and their extended family is possible.

. Relatives and others close to the family are willing to carefor children when parents cannot.

. Families provide the most normative environment for childrearing in the United States.

HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN LATERThe children and adolescents Catholic Community Services ofWestern Washington served with these additions to ourframework did indeed have parents, relatives, and otherswho loved them and were willing to get involved. Of 1000searches for family members, we were only unable to locatethe parent(s) and relatives for one.

The most effective strategy for locating parents and relativeswas face to face interviews and child welfare record reviews.The average record reviewed contained information on 3 to5 adult relatives.

Most records contained specific information only about thoseidentified as having party status in the dependency matter.Records reflected social work practice heavily influenced bycourt proceedings and timeframes.

Upon contacting relatives most wanted to offer assistance ofsome kind. Many were willing to consider caring for the childor children, even when they had complex needs, if supportand services were offered. The relatives located lived local-ly, in other states, and even abroad.

WHY HAD THE FAMILYNOT COME FORWARD BEFORE?

In many situations the children had been lost due to brokenfamily connections, multiple placements in foster care, or mul-tiple family moves. Some of the families feared systeminvolvement or felt powerless to advocate for their children. Inmany instances family members did not know the childrenwere in foster care or simply could not find their lost children.

FINDING FAMILY AND RELATIVESThe initial phase of searching for relatives is simply for gath-ering information, not for finding placement. All possible fam-ily information should be obtained to maximize the number ofpossible connections, and provide the opportunity for concur-rent planning. Information comes from a variety of sources:case files, relatives, social workers, and the child. During thesearch process it is important to consider all information aspossibly relevant and without judgment. (Avoid assumptionsbased on very old or inaccurate historical data.) Parents, rel-atives and others are considered important sources of infor-

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mation during the search phase. Limiting interviews by pre-mature considerations of placement resources can result inunsatisfactory search results.

Private agency personnel should inform key decision-makersas information comes forward. Initially information must becollected in a way that minimizes expectations about reunifi-cation.

The use of computer databases can be very helpful in somesituations. However less than 10% of successful searchesrequired the use of Internet searches.

WHY FAMILY?Children who are away from family are less likely to have asafe and stable place to live (50% percent of children placedhave multiple placements (National Center for PolicyAnalysis, 2001).

Children and the systems who care for them simply cannotafford the costs and consequences of being raised in a sys-tem designed for temporary safeguarding, especially whenthey have a fit and willing relative who could love and carefor them.

The children’s mental health system cannot treat the absenceof committed loving adults in the life of a child with medica-tion or therapy. Treatment to stabilize behavior of childrenwithout the involvement of parents, relatives or others thatlove the children are not proven to be effective.

Children gain permanence, identity, and a true belief thatthey belong to a family. Belonging includes culture, traditions,languages, ancestry, stories, similar appearance and spiritu-al practices.

Many children who previously had no connection to theirtribe were actually able to be enrolled and develop strongtribal connections and supports.

Once children know who they are and who cares about themwe see improvement in behavior, ultimately increasing safetyand stabilizing placement.

The search for, location of, and engagement of relatives is abasic social work practice that must be prioritized and actedon with a sense of urgency for every child entering systemsthat place children away from their families.

Reasonable efforts to provide services to the family mustinclude a completed search that identifies and locates eachavailable adult relative, their response to being contactedand what services they may need to provide a safe, lovingand permanent connection or home for their family’s lostchild. A completed search also includes locating every siblingof the child, and supporting family connections for all.

EXPANDING OUR VISION

Who is Family?Families are larger, healthier and more connected than wepreviously thought. Children and adolescents also often meetand connect with others, during their journey through the out-of-home care system, who love them and will get involved ifinvited, supported, and included.

Time & DistanceIn a sample of 120 children who received family search serv-ices from Catholic Community Service of Western Washingtonthe average completed search required 39 staff hours:

Searches ranged from one hour to 400 hours91% of searches were completed within Washington State

9% required travel within the United States and its territories

No Child is Too Sickto Have a Family

Children and adolescents have a fundamental need for loveand acceptance. Treatment and support for developmentaldisabilities, mental illness, and severe behavior challengesmust be done in the context of loving and committed relation-ships. Every child has a family, and every child has strengths.No child should grow up in the out-of-home care systemwithout loving connections.

CAN THIS HAPPEN ELSEWHERE?Catholic Community Services of Western Washington andEMQ Children and Family Services worked together begin-ning in January 2003, to target 30 youth living in residentialplacements in Sacramento County for family search. All 30youth exited residential care by June 30th, 2003. This wasreported at the Permanency Convening II hosted by the StuartFoundation in San Francisco, CA April 2003.

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Catholic Community Services and EMQ began a partnershipto provide searches for 27 youth in residential care in SantaClara County, California. More than 220 relatives werelocated for eight of the youth in nine hours of work.

We cannot continue to fail to see clearly that a loving familyconnection is the primary need of every child in out-of-homecare. Too often we excuse our failure by saying “ these chil-dren are resilient, they will be okay, at least we kept themsafe…”

In the meantime tens of thousands of children and adoles-cents living in out-of-home care have family members gath-ering at reunions every year somewhere in the United Stateswondering what happened to their lost children.

We must redefine reasonable efforts and basic social workpractice to include the extensive search and engagement ofrelatives.

Remember the Red Cross example, “there are 150,000refugees coming to the border, they will be here in threedays… people just like you and me will respond, there is nochoice it simply must be done.” There are more than550,000 children in the out-of-home care system in theUnited States, too many living without lifelong loving connec-tions. Responsibility comes with knowledge, there is a familyand they can be found. Now we must work from the first dayof placement with a determined sense or urgency and pur-pose to find and engage the family. There is no choice it sim-ply must be done.

We must work with a sense of urgency, from the first day tofind and engage those that care most, parents, relatives andothers that love them.

10 WAYSYOU CAN SUPPORT

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE

Youth go into foster care, often temporarily,because they cannot live with their birth par-ents. On any given day in America, over550,000 children and youth are in foster care.Over 130,000 cannot return to their birth par-ents and are waiting to be adopted. What CanYou Do? There are many ways for each of usto make a difference in a young person's life.Often we simply need to know how to getinvolved.

1. Be a Foster Parent2. Be an Adoptive Parent3. Be a Volunteer Advocate for

Children and Youth in Court4. Be a Mentor5. Support Foster Youth in College

and Vocational School6. Provide Employment and

Training Opportunities7. Be an Advocate for Change8. Learn More About Foster Care

and Adoption9. Get Involved With Foster Care in

Your Local Community10. Contribute Financially

Created byhttp://www.casey.org/fostercareinfo/index.htm

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Permanency hearings should be a piv-otal time in a case. By the end of apermanency hearing, the judge andall the parties should know what thechild’s permanency goal is, and moreimportantly, exactly how it will beachieved. Ideally, in the months lead-ing up to the hearing, the agency hasbeen front loading services for thechild and family and using concurrentplanning to assist in making meaning-ful permanency planning decisions.Hopefully, all of the attorneys in thecase were engaged with their clientsfrom the beginning of the case to helpensure positive results for the child.

Most of us don’t live in an ideal world,though, and so for many children infoster care, permanency hearings arenot meaningful and permanencygoals are not achieved in a timelymanner. In many places, judges andlawyers are not taking an active role inchildren’s cases and as a result, chil-dren are still lingering in foster care.But help is on its way…

The National Resource Centers onLegal and Judicial Issues, Foster Careand Permanency Planning and YouthDevelopment are teaming up to pro-vide a full day training for judges,lawyers, and other members of thechild welfare community called BestPractices to Implement ASFA: CreativeStrategies to Achieve Permanence.

The day begins with a local fosteryouth discussing his or her experiencein care and impressions of the legalsystem. This part of the program setsthe tone for the day and remindseveryone in the room of the impor-

tance of improving practice. Duringthe rest of the morning, participantswill hear short lectures from local andnational experts on: “Nuts and Bolts ofASFA”; “ASFA From a MedicalPerspective”; “Understanding andUsing Concurrent Planning to AchievePermanency for Children”; “ASFA Froma Drug Treatment Perspective”; and“Meeting the Challenge of AchievingPermanence for Teens”. These talksaddress many of the challenges ASFAposes in achieving timely permanencefor children while serving families fair-ly. Some time is left during each ses-sion for questions and discussionabout the participants’ role in imple-menting reform locally. The number ofparticipants for the training is limited toencourage questions and extensiveinteraction.

The afternoon segment of the pro-gram is more interactive and lively.Participants are provided, inadvance, with a fictitious case sce-nario. At the training, participants arebroken into teams of lawyers that rep-resent all the parties in the case. Theteams are given the chance to ques-tion parties and stakeholders in thecase (role played by members of thecommunity) to prepare for a perma-nency hearing. They then prepare asa team and present their arguments toa judge who rules for each child in thecase. The exercise is a fun way toanalyze how permanency hearingsare conducted at the time of the pro-gram and how they could be madebetter. The day ends with a facilitat-ed discussion about the exercise andconcrete steps that can be taken toimprove practice.

Lawyers and judges in your state maynot know a lot about substance abusetreatment, concurrent planning, or themedical treatment a child in fostercare needs, but they do know thatthey want to help children and fami-lies. This program provides concreteinformation in a format that judgesand lawyers can use and allows themthe chance to apply the information toa case that resembles the ones theyhandle every day. Achieving timelypermanence for children in foster careis everyone’s goal and this is one toolto make the goal a reality.

If you are interested in this trainingplease call Mimi Laver at the ABACenter on Children and the Law at202-662-1736.

PERMANENCY HEARINGS:Strategies to Achieve Permanence

by Mimi Laver

The Older Child Adoption & Permanency Movement, Inc.,uses various methods to find permanent homes for NewYork's waiting teens and pre-teens. We would like to offerthe following approaches to any programs that, like us, arenot fully established in the community they serve and can-not rely solely on word-of-mouth referrals.

The "Field of Dreams" One-to-One Approach Recent research documented what we've known all along:most people will adopt older children based on personalcontact with an agency staff member or adoptive parent. The"one-to-one personal contact" approach is based on thebelief that if we offer a parent preparation course (ours iscalled A-OK), people will come — if we reach out to them inan "up close and personal" way. The following strategieshave worked well for us in communities where we offered ourA-OK course. Each strategy involves staff providing servicesto people while talking with them about our program.

The Supermarket Grassroots ApproachOne of the best ways to meet people in a community is tobag groceries at the local supermarket for the fourSaturdays before your course. This provides many opportu-nities for our staff to share information about A-OK.

The Parking Angel ApproachWe have YGB staff and volunteers stroll the main businessavenues, putting quarters in expired meters. We leave apiece of paper that explains the Parking Angel, asks for adonation, and describes our program and the A-OKcourse. While the parking angels patrol, they talk to anyonewho's willing to listen.

The Doorknob CampaignWe walk doorknob to doorknob, distributing flyers aboutour program. While we do this, we meet many communityresidents and discuss with them teens and pre-teens whoneed permanent families.

The "A Family is NOWHERE" Approach"A Family is No Where" or "A Family is Now Here." It's ourchoice. What is in the individual recruiter's mind is really theonly thing that matters. Once a recruiter decides a family is"now here," that family can usually be found in the life cycle

of the child. All children in foster care have people whoserve as their resources. Consider the list for a child in agroup home: social worker, therapist, volunteers, mainte-nance staff, teachers, relatives, and more. There could be adozen people who may be approached to offer a home tothe child. As recruiters, we must approach these people oradd new people to the child's life cycle.

Approaching Adults Who Are Partof the Child's Life CycleIf given agency permission, our staff will work with the childto identify a prospective family. We approach this familywith the utmost sensitivity. Were we simply to ask, "Wouldyou adopt Johnny?", the answer would invariably be "No."But the person may be willing to come to our course if weexplain Johnny's need for a permanent family, as well thefinancial subsidies available for adoption, the process ofpre-adoption education, and the availability of post-place-ment support. We have found that half of the people whoattend A-OK make the decision to bring the child perma-nently into their home. If the first person we approach does-n't do that, we'll move on to the second and third.

Certifying Prospective Adoptive ParentsAs Mentors to ChildrenIf agency workers will not help us identify life cycle mem-bers, we create additional resources for the child. We askindividuals who have taken A-OK and are certified toadopt a child to be mentors and volunteers in treatmentcenters and group homes. They have a chance to know thechild before the "A" word is ever mentioned. The situation issafe and personal and gets results.

"Let the Spirit Move 'Em" ApproachIt is crucially important to set up opportunities that get wait-ing children in the same time and space as waiting families.It is equally crucial to set up opportunities to get agencystaff in the same time and space as potential adoptive fam-ilies. The spirit of human beings sharing the same time andspace can lead to magical things happening.

Events Where Waiting Children and Families MeetThere are a variety of events that help waiting children andwaiting families meet each other. We've tried annual holiday

Non-Traditional Recruitment for Teens and Pre-TeensReprinted From from Adoptalk, Newsletter of North American Council of Adoptable Children, Fall, 1996

by Pat O'BrienExecutive Director, You Gotta Believe! The Older Child Adoption & Permanency Movement, Inc.

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PUBLICATIONSFall 2003

NCSL State Legislative Report,Analysis of State Actions on Important Issues:Supporting and Retaining Foster Parents

April 2002 by Steve Christianwww.ncsl.org/programs/cyf

Foster parents are a valuable but often neglected resource, both forchild welfare agencies and the children they serve, however moststates are experiencing a serious shortage of qualified foster par-ents. Between 1984 and 1995, the number of children in foster careincreased 68 percent, while the number of foster parents decreasedby 4 percent. The principal cause of this shortage is the inability ofchild welfare agencies to retain the foster parents they have recruit-ed. Turnover among foster parents is extremely high; some agen-cies lose from 30 to 50 percent of their caregivers every year. Thisreport looks at the components necessary to support and retain fos-ter parents including adequate training, and the rights responsibili-ties of foster parents.

Finding Permanent Homes for Foster Children:Issues Raised by Kinship Care

April 2003 by Rob Geenwww.urban.org

Kinship care has a far-reaching impact on child welfare agencies'permanency planning efforts and the permanency outcomes offoster children. While long-term foster care is discouraged, work-ers feel much less urgency to terminate parental rights, close acase, or push for adoption when children are living with kin. Birthparents may also feel less urgency to take the necessary steps forreunification when their children are placed with kin. Green’sarticle looks at the complex issues raised by kinship care.

Expanding Permanency Options for Children:A Guide to Subsidized Guardianship Programs

www.childrensdefense.org/ss_kincarePublished by The Children's Defense Fund and Cornerstone Consulting

Group this document looks at how state child welfare administratorsand child advocates are exploring a range of creative new ways toexpedite adoptive and other permanent placements for children in fos-ter care. As part of this expanding continuum, 34 states and the Districtof Columbia have now established subsidized guardianship programsto support children and families for whom adoption is not an appro-priate permanency option.

The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Carewww.pewfostercare.org

The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care has been estab-lished to develop recommendations to improve outcomes for chil-dren in the foster care system. Several background and briefingpapers related to the organization and financing of child welfareservices, court oversight of child welfare cases, and the relevantlegislative histories were prepared by the Pew Commission onChildren in Foster Care. They are:The Federal Legal Framework for Child Welfare by Kasia O'NeillMurray, Child Welfare and the Courts by Sue Badeau, and TheChild Welfare Financing Structure by Kasia O'Neill Murray.

A Child's Journey Through the Child Welfare System http://pewfostercare.org/docs/index.php?DocID=24

The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care website now fea-tures a model which highlights typical decision points on a child'sjourney through the current foster care system. Although the formatis based on federal and common state law and practice, neverthe-less it is only a model. Laws vary across states, as does the capac-ity and practices of child welfare agencies and courts to managetheir caseloads.

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parties, fashion shows, poetry festivals, talent shows, and soft-ball games. Many of our events have led to placements.

Events for Staff to Share Time withProspective Adoptive ParentsWe recommend working at adoption fairs, conferences,and parent group meetings. At adoption fairs, you can helpfamilies learn about children in need of homes. Conferencesput you in one-to-one contact with people who might wantto adopt. Finally, adoptive and foster parent support groupsare usually pleased to hear from agency personnel and will

give you greater than your fair share of attention. Thesegroups can be a great source of referrals.

In addition to these innovative ideas, we use the media, theyellow pages, and other traditional sources to find interest-ed families. Most importantly, we ensure that everyone onstaff views what they do as potential recruitment. Thisincludes answering the phone (please have a human voice),interacting with postal carriers, and greeting people.Everyone must believe that they can find families for wait-ing teens and pre-teens.

A Tradition of Caring: Information, Resources,and Support of Kinship Families, Child Welfare League of America

2003, (800) 407-6723 www.cwla.org/pubs

This curriculum was created for use by a wide variety of consumersincluding public and private child welfare organizations. It contains27 hours of valuable information and support related to kinshipcare. The six modules focus on key concerns including accessingneeded services, addressing changes in family dynamics, and pro-moting children’s needs for lifelong connection.

The Adoption History Project by Ellen Hermanwww.darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption

This project focuses on the history of adoption in the United States.Topics covered include People and Organizations, Topics inAdoption History, and Adoption Studies/Adoption Science.

Protecting Children: Promising Results,Potential New Directions: International FGDM Research and Evaluation in Child Welfares

American Humane, (303) 792-9900www.americanhumane.org

This latest edition contains comprehensive research on FamilyGroup Decision Making. Indications are that when com-pared to traditional child welfare practices, safety plansdeveloped with families and their support networks are morelikely to result in more permanent placements, maintain fami-ly bonds and keep children safe. The research also showsthat children placed through Family Group Decision Makingspend less time in foster care, experience fewer transitions,and are more likely to be reunited with their family than chil-dren placed through other child welfare practices.

SAMHSA Children's Program Kit http://www.samhsa.gov/news/addictedparents.html

To help substance abuse treatment professionals design pro-grams to help children of addicted parents cope with theeffects of their parents' addiction, Substance Abuse andMental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has devel-oped a new Children's Program Kit. The toolkit is designed toprovide materials for substance abuse programs to initiateeducational support programs for the children of clients insubstance abuse treatment. The curricula will teach childrenskills such as solving problems, coping, social competence,autonomy and a sense of purpose and future. The kit wasdeveloped by SAMHSA childhood mental health profession-als and covers a wide variety of topics and practical teachingstrategies for elementary, middle and upper school children,including stories and videos. The kit also contains informationfor therapists to distribute to their clients to help parentsunderstand the needs of their children, as well as trainingmaterials for substance abuse treatment staff who plan tooffer support groups for children.

Administration (SAMHSA) has developed a new Children'sProgram Kit. The toolkit is designed to provide materials forsubstance abuse programs to initiate educational support pro-grams for the children of clients in substance abuse treatment.The curricula will teach children skills such as solving problems,coping, social competence, autonomy and a sense of purposeand future. The kit was developed by SAMHSA childhoodmental health professionals and covers a wide variety of top-ics and practical teaching strategies for elementary, middleand upper school children, including stories and videos. The kitalso contains information for therapists to distribute to theirclients to help parents understand the needs of their children,as well as training materials for substance abuse treatmentstaff who plan to offer support groups for children.

CWLA’s Best Practice Guidelines:Child Maltreatment in Foster Care

http://www.casey.org/cnc/policy_issues/child_maltreatment.htm

We are happy to present this new publication, a product of a two-year collaboration between the Child Welfare League of Americaand the CNC. These guidelines provide comprehensive, qualitypractices for the prevention, response, and investigation of out-of-home maltreatment. Using sound administrative and casework prac-tices, professionals learn how to prevent such incidents, wheneverpossible, and competently respond and investigate those situationsin which allegations of abuse and neglect in foster families occur.

The Source; Building Bridges Back Home:Parental Substance Abuse and Family Reunification,Newsletter of the Abandoned InfantsResource Center, Volume 12.

www.aia.berkeley.edu As family reunification can trigger a relapse for parents in recovery,preparation for reunification should be addressed in case planning.It should start early on and continue across service systems. Thisarticle focuses on crucial issues for families preparing for reunifica-tion and provides strategies that support families working towardfamily reunification.

Who Will Adopt the Foster Care ChildrenLeft Behind?

www.urban.org/urlprint.cfm The number of children in foster care eligible for adoption far out-numbers those who are adopted each year. Where will states findadoptive parents for the foster children left behind? This report fromthe Urban Institute looks at the characteristics of parents who haveadopted children from the foster care system and those of childrenwho are waiting for permanent homes.

Infants, Toddlers, and Families:A Framework for Support and Intervention

M. Farell Erikson & Kurz-Riemer, 2002www.guilford.com (800) 365-7006

The authors provide a framework for strengths-based family inter-vention in the first three years of life. Chapters include approachesfor working with children including those who are disabled, disad-vantaged. Suggestions are provided for planning and implement-ing interventions that work with the family’s unique needs andresources.

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