permanency & placement - bay area...

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Permanency & Placement

Version 2.2, 2012

Day 1

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Goals for the Training

In this training we will cover:

� The rules and regulations governing permanency and placement

� The importance of permanency

� Cultural differences in permanency & placement

� The emotional and developmental consequences of placement

� Placement decision making

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Learning Objectives

� Review the Learning Objectives

� Identify your priorities

� Establish the learning priorities of the group

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Activity: What’s in it for Me?

� What do I hope to learn in this training?

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Testing, testing…

Training Evaluation

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What is Permanency?

�Permanence

�Legal Permanency Options

�Emotional Permanency

�Concurrent Planning

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Youth Permanency Essentials

�Lifelong connections

�Skills for living interdependently

�Youth involvement

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History of Child Welfare Placement

Complete the

time line of

events from

1854 to 2011

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Historical Timeline

� 1854 – Orphan Trains

� 1874 – Mary Ellen is protected in the first court intervention on behalf of a child

� 1909 – The White House Conference on Dependent Children identifies two key values:

� poverty alone is not grounds to remove children, and

� children should be placed in homes, not institutions

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Historical Timeline

� 1935 – Social Security Act

� 1972 – Stanley vs. Illinois recognizes the rights of unwed fathers

� 1974 – National Child Abuse Treatment and Prevention Act

� 1978 – Indian Child Welfare Act

� 1980 – Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act

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Historical Timeline

�1990 – Katz Concurrent Planning Study

�1994 – Multi-Ethnic Placement Act

�1996 – Interethnic Adoption Provisions

�1997 – Adoption and Safe Families Act

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Historical Timeline

�2001 – Promoting Safe and Stable Families Chafee Amendment

�2004 – AB 408

�2005 – AB 1412

�2012 – Fostering Connections/ After 18 (AB 12)

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How far have we come?

� What are the key positive developments?

� Were you surprised by the timing of the events?

� Where do we need to focus our change efforts?

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Laws and Policies Matching Game

� Wait for all tables to receive the cards and

instructions before turning the cards over

� Match the card with the name of the law

to the card with a longer explanation of

the same law

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Foster Children’s Bill of Rights

Enacted in 2001 and listed in WIC 16001.9

WIC requires the bill of rights be explained to every school-age child

Any facility licensed to care for six or more children in must post the bill of rights

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Honorary Honorables

� The roles

� The family

� The factors to consider

� The decision

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Family Before the Court

�The Washington Jackson children:

�LaTrecee Washington, 6

�Joe Jackson, 6

�The adults in the home:

�Rhonda Washington, 25

�Dale Jackson, 25

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Key Considerations

� Cause for removal based on WIC 300

� Reasonable efforts (from the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act)

� Remember ASFA time limits

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Key Considerations

�Right to reunification services (ASFA, WIC)

�Visitation (WIC)

�Foster care drift

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Key Considerations

�Best interest of the child

�Ensuring placement decisions consider the child’s developmental needs

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Key Considerations

�Non-custodial parents (WIC 361)

�Placement in another state (ICPC)

�Same-race placements (MEPA)

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Key Considerations

� Tribal sovereignty and tribal connections (ICWA)

� Active efforts (ICWA)

� Tribal Customary Adoption (AC 1325)

� Sibling visits (WIC)

� School placement (AB 490)

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Key Considerations

� Intersection of

� ASFA

� ICWA

� MEPA

� Working collaboratively with tribes

� Conflicting guidelines

� AB 408

� Caregiver selection

� SAFETY

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Make a recommendation

� What factors need to be considered?

� How are you going to engage the parents?

� How would you engage extended kin?

� What are the educational needs of the children?

� What is your recommendation?

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Remember to consider

� Concurrent planning for permanency -

� Plan A and Plan B should be established at the same time

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Permanency in California - Quiz

Take your best guess!

How do your experiences compare with the statewide data?

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What the numbers show…

As of December 31, 2010, what percentage of children and youth in out-of-home placement in California are living with kin?

Answer:

a. 10% foster home

b. 34% relative home

c. 29% foster family agency

d. 7% group home

e. 21% other

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What the numbers show …

Overall in California, when children and youth are removed where are they most likely to be placed first?

Answer:

a. Kinship home 22%

b. Foster home 19%

c. Foster Family Agency 45%

d. Group home/Shelter 11%

e. Other 3%

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Some children and youth who are placed stay in foster care for only a few days. For those who stay at least eight days in placement, what percentage is still in out of home care one year later?

Answer:

c. 55%


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What percentage of foster care placements include some or all of a child’s siblings?

Answer:

c. 73%

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How many of the children in foster care on 1/1/11 had been in care for more than two years?

Answer:

d. 41%

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What percentage of foster children and youth in care for longer than 24 months have had more than 2 placements?

Answer:

b. 67%

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59% of youth aging out of the system at age 18 were in care for 3 years or longer.

57% of youth who aged out of the system between 10/1/10 and 12/31/10 had completed high school or obtained a GED.

30% of youth who aged out of the system between 10/1/10 and 12/31/10 had a job.

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Substantiated Allegations in California

Asian children: Underrepresented

(3 per 1000)

Black children: Overrepresented

(22 per 1000)

Hispanic children: Proportionate

(9 per 1000)

Native American children: Overrepresented (16 per 1000)

White children: Underrepresented

(7 per 1000)

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Children Removed from Home in CA


(1 per 1000)


(10 per 1000)


(3 per 1000)


White children: Proportionate

(3 per 1000)

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All Children in Placement in California


(1 per 1000)


(24 per 1000)


(5 per 1000)


White children: Underrepresented

(5 per 1000)

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How did you do?

�What surprised you?

�What bothered you?

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Culture and Permanency

� Families have values related to permanency

� Social workers have values related to permanency

� Cultural filters or cultural assumptions can impact permanency outcomes for children and youth

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Culture and Placement

� Race is the single greatest predictor of adoption as a permanency outcome with African American children and youth much less likely to be adopted (McRoy, 2000)

� African American youth are less likely to have legal permanency (Potter and Klein-Rothschild 2002)

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Median length of time in care

� Black children: 32.3 months

� White children: 28 months

� Hispanic children: 31.3 months

� Asian / Pacific Islander children: 28.9 months

� Native American children: 33.8 months

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Percent adopted within 24 months

� Black children: 25.9%

� White children: 35.2%

� Hispanic children: 28.5%

� Asian / Pacific Islander children: 35.4%

� Native American children: 28.6%

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Conflicting Data

� African Americans more open to foster care and adoption of children with special needs

� Relative caregivers interested in adoption

� Relative caregiver not offered adoption as an option

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Key Message:

Now that you know about this, what are you going to do

about it?

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Video

Multiple Transitions: A Child’s Point of View about Foster Care and Adoption

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Attachment Helps Children

� Attain full intellectual potential

� Develop a conscience

� Trust others

� Become self-reliant

� Better cope with stress, frustration and jealousy

� Overcome common fears and worries

� Increase feelings of self worth Fahlberg, 1991

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Healthy Attachment

� For infants and preschoolers

� Exploration of surroundings*

� Relaxed and happy demeanor

� Looking at others when communicating*

� Showing a response to separation*

� Demonstrating typical fears

*May vary by culture

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Implications of Separation

�For infants and preschoolers

�Distress at loss of trusted caregivers

�Belief that the change is permanent

�Belief that the separation is a punishment

�Feeling powerless

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Healthy Attachment

� For school age children

� Healthy self-esteem

� Pride in accomplishments

� Willingness to try new things*

� Establishing eye contact*

� Reacting positively to parent

� Positive peer interactions


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� For school age children

� Anxiety

� Guilt

� Confusion about cultural differences in the foster home

� Fear about siblings placed in other foster homes

� Loneliness, isolation loss of friends

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Healthy Attachment

� For adolescents

� Awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses

� Awareness of parents’ values

� Involved in interests outside home*

� Satisfactory school performance

� Future goals

� Positive peer interactions


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�For adolescents

�Stress overload, crisis

�Guilt and anxiety about the separation

�Depression

�Difficulty developing autonomy

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� Feelings of anger and rage

� Behaviors such as opposition, hypersensitivity, emotional outbursts, property destruction, aggression, lying, stealing, tantrums, or withdrawal

� Physical symptoms such as abdominal pain, headaches, insomnia, extreme fatigue, binge eating or lack of appetite

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Stages of Grief and Loss

� Denial

� Anger

� Blame

� Bargaining

� Depression

� Adaptation / Adjustment

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Faith’s Story

�The impact of placement on the sibling relationship (the longest relationship most people will have in their lives)

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What could we do differently?

� What is your reaction to Faith’s Story?

� What impact did this have on Faith?

� What has she done to cope with the impact?

� What does this say to you about what CWS, the courts, and others should do when children need to be placed?

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Activity

An Unplanned Move

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Don’t worry

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Key Message

Social worker actions can reduce placement trauma for

children and youth.

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Taking it home…..

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Permanency & Placement

Version 2.1, 2011

Day 2

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Activity

Crisis Management

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What is crisis?

� Loss of control

�Feelings of fear

�Sudden changes

�Feelings of desperation

� Inability to focus

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Components of Crisis

�Stressor

�Coping skills

�Perception

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Decrease Placement Trauma

� Encourage the child to express feelings & ask questions

� Arrange a visit before the child leaves home

� Develop a list of people the child trusts

� Bring familiar comfort items with the child

� Build a relationship between the parent & foster parent

� Arrange for services to treat the abuse or neglect and the trauma of placement

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Cross Cultural Placement

� Discuss the cultural differences (include things like religion, clothes, food, hair)

� Empathize with feelings of being different

� Help the foster parent & child make a plan

� Facilitate a conversation between the foster parent and birth parent

� Talk to the family about the child’s typical expression of sadness

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Encourage Attachment

� For infants and young children

� Respond quickly to physical needs

� Interact frequently

� Express affection

� For older children and adolescents

� Share excitement over accomplishments

� Participate in outside activities

� Express affection

� Plan activities to do together

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Placement Protocol

� Facilitate a meeting between the foster family and the biological family

� Provide details about the child to the foster parent

� Provide culturally specific information

� Prepare the child for the transition to placement

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Activity

Placement Needs of Children at Different Developmental Levels

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The Cassel Family

� The adults in the home:

� Anita Cassel, 34

� Dan Cassel, 40

� The children:

� Raul Lopez, 14

� Ellen Cassel, 8

� Christina Cassel, 5

� Roberto Cassel, 2

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Activity

Cassel Family Placement Considerations:

Child’s Needs

Ideas to Ease the Transition

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Your Ideas

�Roberto

�Ellen

�Christina

�Raul

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Concurrent planning means

� considering all reasonable options for permanency at the earliest possible point following a child's entry into foster care, and

� simultaneously pursuing those that will best serve the child's needs.

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Start the conversation

� Prepare a brief introductory statement (your 2 minute pitch)

� Acknowledge that the subject is difficult

� Engage the family to work with you

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Full disclosure includes

� The rights of the parents

� The safety concerns and the MSLC

� The planning process (safety plan, case plan, concurrent permanency planning)

� Family strengths and resources

� Potential outcomes of the child welfare intervention

� The timelines for reunification

� Relinquishment

� The importance of permanency and placement stability for children

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For Successful Full Disclosure

� Start with a discussion of strengths

� Focus the middle portion of the meeting on the more difficult information

� Close the meeting with a return to a

more positive tone

From the NRCFCPP Concurrent Planning Training

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Full Disclosure = Engagement

Applicable skills:

� Partializing

� Open-ended questions

� Strengths finding

� Mutual respect

� Empathy

From the NRCFCPP Concurrent Planning Training

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Key Message:

Parents have a right to full disclosure and a right to

participate in the permanency planning process.

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Activity

� Concurrent Planning Full Disclosure Role Play

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Overcoming Full Disclosure Barriers

� Stress the benefits of permanency

� Acknowledge strengths

� Establish a frequent and constructive visitation plan

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Helping Parents to Help Kids

� Making the placement process easier for parents allows them to focus on making the process easier for the kids

� How can we make the process easier for parents?

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Participatory Planning

� Increases family involvement and ownership of processes and outcomes

� Ensures that all involved have the same information

� Helps identify services and supports

� Builds on natural supports already available within the family

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Teaming

� Start with strengths

� Use straight talk

� Involve family and community

� Build partnerships with foster parents and relative caregivers

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Icebreakers

� Facilitate a better relationship between birth parents and foster parents

� Open communication for sharing information about the child

� Decrease tension and feelings of divided loyalty for children

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Decisions for the Cassel Family

�Placement options

�Pros and cons

�Critical factors

�Placement recommendation

�Concurrent planning goal

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Placement Decisions

�Raul will be placed with Jesus’ family

�Christina and Roberto will be placed with their mother’s sister, Maria

�Ellen will be placed with her grandparents, Dan and Monica Cassel

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Permanency Assessment

� The SDM reunification assessment includes a reassessment of risk, an assessment of the visitation plan, and a safety assessment.

� The CAT Continuing Services Assessment includes a reunification readiness section addressing safety, risk and protective capacity.

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Substantial Probability of Reunification

� Consistent and regular contact and visitation

� Significant progress in resolving problems that led to the initial removal

� The capacity and ability both to complete the objectives of the treatment plan within the time limit and to meet the child’s needs if the time is extended

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Assessment of Substitute Caregivers

� Important considerations:

� Childs strengths and needs

� Culture and language

� Child’s immediate and ongoing needs

� Level of care

� Siblings

� Permanency

� Visitation

� Caregiver’s ability to keep child safe and support case plan efforts

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Caregivers and Permanency

�Willingness is linked to:

�Previous experiences

�Expectations

�Relationship

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Explaining Permanency Options

� Reunification – the first permanency priority

� Adoption – the legal transfer of all parenting rights and responsibilities to a new parent

� Legal guardianship – court appointment of a person to provide for a child until adulthood

� Long term foster care – a temporary placement which may end at any time

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Caregivers and Permanency

�Ability is linked to:

�Criminal history

�Substance abuse

�Mental health

�Child welfare history

�Use of physical punishment

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Factors Linked to Placement Stability

� Foster parent / birth parent contact in the foster home

� Foster parent intention to adopt

� Foster parent knowledge of child development

� Foster parent access to support systems

� Foster parent use of non-physical discipline

� Foster parent use of positive reinforcement

� Close monitoring and supervision

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Your Role in Placement Stability

� Increased social worker presence in the foster home leads to better placement stability

�Why?

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Is There a Permanent Connection?

� Would the youth be asked to leave the house for mistakes or behavior?

� Does the youth go on family vacations?

� Is the same amount of money devoted to the youth as to other children in family?

� Is the youth included in inheritance?

� In all ways, is the youth treated as a member of the family?

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Key Message:

It is very important to address the emotional connection between youth and foster

parents / relative caregivers.

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Video

Voices of Youth: Supporting Adolescents in Foster Care

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Activity

� Permanency Assessment Scenario

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Key Message:

Visitation is the most important factor related to reunification

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Activity

Cassel Children Visitation Plan

Link to this case plan objective:

� Mr. Cassel will use rewards, praise and timeouts to address his children’s

positive and negative behavior.

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Visitation Observation

� Assess visits to inform decisions about reunification

� Develop a written visitation plan

� Observe visits

� Document visitation activities

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Key Message:

Talk to youth frequently about permanency, important people in the youth’s life and facilitating emotional

connections

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Activity

� Talking to Youth about Permanency

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Concurrent planning means

� considering all reasonable options for permanency at the earliest possible point following a child's entry into foster care, and

� simultaneously pursuing those that will best serve the child's needs.

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Activity

Concurrent Planning Role Play Part 2

� Be sure to include

� Full disclosure

� Information about permanency options

� Engagement techniques

� Acknowledgement of the feelings

� Support for the foster parent’s role

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Activity

Supporting Placement Stability

� Be sure to include

� Ongoing contact with birth families

� Treatment to address grief and loss

� Assistance with accessing services

� Parenting training to assist caregivers

� A Life book for the child

� Purposeful and frequent social worker visits

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Supporting Permanency

� Services to address trauma

� Services to meet developmental needs

� Social supports

� Support for developing emotional connections

� Support for ongoing family contact

� Life books

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Making Permanency Decisions

� What factors should be considered in making permanency decisions for the Cassel family?

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Taking it home…..

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My Action Plan

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Testing, testing…

Training Evaluation

permanency & placement - bay area...

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