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Engaging Families in Achieving Permanency for Children and Youth

The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 identifies five permanency goals for children and youth: reunification, adoption, legal guardianship, living with a fit and willing relative, or another planned, permanent living arrangement. Families, including both maternal and paternal extended kin, tribal members, and other relatives and caregivers, are essential partners in providing permanent homes for their children.

Best Practices of Empowerment-Oriented Permanency Planning: Facilitating Change and Self-Development in Parents and Families: A Handbook for Caseworkers
Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (2000, 4th ed.)
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Presents family-centered, empowerment-oriented best practices for caseworkers assisting families in permanency planning.

Families as Partners in Permanency: A Curriculum for Skills Development
St. Christopher-Ottilie Services for Children and Families (2000)
In Evaluation of the Families Together Project
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Describes strategies for involving families in permanency planning and foster care.

Kinship Training Curriculum
Mills & Usher (1997)
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How to engage kinship care providers in the placement process. Emphasizes family empowerment and partnerships between workers and families for the development and implementation of permanency plans.

Permanence for Young People: Framework (PDF - 115 KB)
National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning & Casey Center for Effective Child Welfare Practice (2004)
Presents six key components of a child welfare system designed to identify and support permanent family relationships for young people in out-of-home care.

Related Information Gateway Topics Systemwide: Family group decision-making Out-of-home care: Casework practice with birth families Achieving & maintaining permanency: Engaging parents in permanency planning Achieving & maintaining permanency: Engaging parents in reunification Out-of-home care: Identifying and locating relatives Achieving & maintaining permanency: Permanent placements with relatives Adoption: Working with birth parents

Updated on September 18, 2008