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Home > Concurrent Planning > What Are Some Guiding Principles for Implementing Concurrent Planning?
Concurrent Planning: What the Evidence Shows
Issue Brief
Author(s): Child Welfare Information Gateway
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| Year Published: 2005 |
What Are Some Guiding Principles for Implementing Concurrent Planning?
The limited evaluations of concurrent planning conducted thus far appear to offer support for the approach in strengthening permanency outcomes for children. The evidence base in concurrent planning suggests the following guiding principles:
- To succeed, concurrent planning must be supported philosophically and with adequate resources both within the child welfare agency and among service providers and related professionals. Lack of acceptance on the part of any group can jeopardize the effectiveness of the approach; agency partners serving families should be part of the planning, training, and implementation process.
- Cooperation and preparation of the judicial system, as seen in the three initiatives featured above, is especially critical. More timely planning and casework services cannot be effective without the development and enforcement of judicial procedures that ensure smooth progress of cases through court. As these changes often have workload implications for attorneys and judges, their early involvement in planning and support of concurrent planning efforts is imperative.
- Early and aggressive efforts should be made to identify all reasonable permanency options for children entering foster care. Concurrent planning is fundamentally about focusing permanency efforts squarely on the best interests of the child.
- Families should be engaged in collaborative planning and decision-making in the permanent plan for their child. An example of a complementary approach that encourages such collaborative engagement is Family Group Decision Making, a planning and permanency strategy being adopted by many agencies.
- Interactions with families should be based on respect, honesty, and openness. Such an approach is not only essential for family engagement, but also to clarify ethical considerations for caseworkers and legal issues for the courts.
Questions for Future Research
As concurrent planning becomes more prevalent, further questions will need to be explored. Some of these include:
- In what percentage of public agencies is concurrent planning currently being implemented?
- Is there a common definition of concurrent planning among those agencies, or do concurrent planning programs vary considerably?
- What effect do training and other factors, such as family involvement, have on the short- and long-term success of concurrent planning programs?
- What is the proportion of family reunifications to alternative placements among concurrent planning programs? How does the type of permanent placement affect child outcomes?
As more States finalize their Program Improvement Plans and more evaluations of concurrent planning programs are conducted, answers to these and other questions will guide the field in their efforts to provide children with safe and loving families in a timely and supportive manner.
This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.
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