Children and youth in out-of-home care should be involved in the permanency-planning process to the fullest extent possible. Discussing permanency options, explaining the processes, and helping children and youth process their emotions are activities that can help prepare and support them in achieving permanency. This section includes resources to help caseworkers prepare children and youth for permanency, particularly adoption, and offers strategies that help engage youth throughout the process. Resources include State and local examples.
2018 National Adoption Month: Lifting Up Youth Voices to Promote Permanency [Webinar]
AdoptUSKids & Child Welfare Information Gateway (2018)
Features professionals, youth, and young adults who have experience engaging youth in promoting permanency for themselves and others and developing public platforms to help inform and influence local and statewide permanency efforts.
| Series Title | Bulletins for Professionals |
| Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway (U.S.);AdoptUSKids (Program) |
| Availability | View Download (PDF - 260KB) Order (Free) |
| Year Published | 2019 |
Child Placement Best Practices to Support Permanency and Preservation Across the Continuum (PDF -224 KB)
Wynne (2016)
Adoption Advocate, 97
National Council for Adoption
Discusses some best practices used to ensure effective child placement and permanency practices and mentions screening, assessing, and preparing children and adoptive families.
Engaging Older Youth in Permanency Planning
Juvenile Law Center (2019)
Presents a toolkit for child welfare professionals to support youth and assist them in achieving permanency. The toolkit includes tools and best practices developed by youth advocates for professionals who work on permanency planning.
Engaging Youth in Writing Their Narratives [Webinar]
AdoptUSKids (2020)
Provides strategies to help professionals engage youth in creating effective, strengths-based profiles.
| Series Title | Bulletins for Professionals |
| Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Availability | View Download (PDF - 719KB) Order (Free) |
| Year Published | 2019 |
The Role of the Court in Implementing the Older Youth Provisions of the Strengthening Families Act (PDF - 650 KB)
Pokempner (2016)
American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law & Juvenile Law Center
Outlines the provisions of the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (SFA). This issue brief lists the basic legal requirements of SFA, discusses court implementation, suggests questions the court can ask, and gives strategies for attorneys and advocates to prepare youth for court and case planning.
| Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway; AdoptUSKids |
| Availability | View Download (PDF - 1,070KB) |
| Year Published | 2016 |
Unadoptable Is Unacceptable: Removing Legal Barriers to Permanency for Older Youth: A Guide for Legal Partners in the Child Welfare System
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (2019)
Explores the most common legal challenges that occur when helping children to transition from foster care into their adoptive families and offers solutions for how legal partners can help remove the barriers that threaten permanency.
We Never Outgrow the Need for Family—Just Ask Us: Talking With Older Youth About Adoption [Webinar]
AdoptUSKids & Child Welfare Information Gateway (2016)
Describes how to have more effective and meaningful conversations with teenagers about permanency. This webinar features a panel discussion with two young adults formerly in foster care, an adoptive parent, and an adoption professional.
Youth Voices: Why Family Matters [Webinar]
AdoptUSKids (2019)
Describes the importance of permanency for older youth, how to engage youth when planning for adoption, and resources that can support efforts to achieve permanency for older youth, including the National Adoption Month website.
State and local examples
Engaging Children in the Adoption Process
The Duke Endowment
Describes a grant in North and South Carolina to fund Wendy's Wonderful Kids recruiters, who work with children to give them a more active role in the adoption process.
Tools for Success: A Toolkit for Child Welfare Professionals to Achieve Permanency and Stability for Youth in Foster Care
Youth Fostering Change & Juvenile Law Center (2018)
Provides information for social workers, advocates, caseworkers, and other child welfare professionals who support youth in achieving legal permanency and relational permanency. It includes tools and best practices for working with youth to achieve permanency.
Tribal Leadership Series: Youth Engagement (PDF - 5,200 KB)
First Kids 1st (2018)
Provides information for Tribal leaders on how to engage youth. The brief discusses the importance of youth engagement and the practices and tools to support it.
Our Youth-Centered Approach
You Gotta Believe (2020)
Explains You Gotta Believe's approach to finding permanent homes for youth, including how the New York-based organization works with youth to identify important adults in their lives.