Federal and State laws and policies provide guidance for achieving permanency for children and youth served by child welfare agencies. Permanency goals must be approved by the courts, and periodic court hearings are held to review permanency plans for children and youth in foster care to ensure adequate progress is being made toward those goals.
- Federal laws related to permanency
- State laws related to permanency
- Working with the courts for permanency
ABA Center on Children and the Law
Provides a full-service technical assistance, training, and research program addressing a broad spectrum of law and court-related topics affecting children. The Center operates the Children's Bureau's National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues.
Casey Family Programs – Resources
Casey Family Programs
Provides child welfare systems, policymakers, courts and Tribes with technical assistance, data analysis, independent research, and evaluation to support long-term improvements that decrease the need for foster care. Resources on the topics of preventing child abuse and neglect, Indian Child Welfare, and permanency, are also listed.
| Series Title | Related Organizations Lists |
| Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Availability | View |
National Association Counsel for Children
A nonprofit child advocacy and professional membership association dedicated to providing high quality legal representation for children. NACC provides training and technical assistance to attorneys and other professionals, serves as a public information and professional referral center, and engages in public policy and legislative advocacy.
National Center for State Courts
Through research, consulting services, publications, and national educational programs, NCSC helps to enhance court operations, collect and interpret data on court operations, and provide information on best practices in a child welfare cases.
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL): Child Welfare
Serves the legislators and staff of the nation's 50 States, its commonwealths, and territories. NCSL offers summaries of changes to State laws and how legislatures can be involved in the Federal Child and Family Services Reviews.
National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges
Offers guidelines and protocols, court profiles, frequently asked questions, and resources to help courts identify impediments to timeliness and delivery of services for families with children in foster care, and then helps courts design and implement changes to modify those barriers.