Episode 55: National Adoption Month - Engage Youth, Listen and Learn

"We get to that change, that shift, that youth-driven, youth-centered outcome, by bringing them to the table and focusing on relationships". 
Mike Kenney, KinnectOhio

In alignment with National Adoption Month 2020 and its "Engage Youth, Listen and Learn" theme, this episode shares two examples of jurisdictions increasing youth involvement with their own permanency plans. Listen to learn more about the following programs:

• The Ohio Youth-Centered Permanency Roundtables (YCPRT) Program has implemented Youth-Centered Permanency Roundtables (YCPRT) in at least 10 counties to bring both youth and their network of connections—their people—into the permanency planning and decision-making processes.
• Washington State's youth-directed recruitment plans, which includes youth-directed profiles—filled with videos, writings, and other ways youth choose to showcase themselves to adoptive families—within the Northwest Adoption Exchange.

The following individuals are featured in this episode:

• Mike Kenney, co-founder and director of advancement, KinnectOhio
• Debbie Marker, permanency grant administrator, Division of Child Welfare Programs, Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families

Topics discussed include the following:

• Implementation and structure of Youth-Centered Permanency Roundtables to increase the chances of sustainable permanency plans
• The change in culture and mindset both jurisdictions needed from caseworkers and facilitators for more successful outcomes
• How Washington leveraged a Strengthening Child Welfare Systems grant to address barriers that inhibited timeliness to permanency
• Personal anecdotes of how these programs directly led to youth and families establishing deeper connections that led to adoption