Legal Issues Related to Permanency

Resources and information about legal issues relevant to achieving permanency for children and youth in out-of-home care, including:

• Reasonable efforts

Children in Foster Care With Parents in Federal Prison: A Toolkit for Child Welfare Agencies, Federal Prisons, and Residential Reentry Centers (PDF - 2,703 KB)
Federal Interagency Working Group for Children of Incarcerated Parents (2013)
Outlines strategies that child welfare agencies and Federal prisons can employ to encourage incarcerated parents to remain engaged in their children's lives.

Engaging Noncustodial Fathers in Child Welfare Cases: A Guide for Children's Attorneys and Lawyer Guardians ad Litem (PDF - 4,198 KB)
Pilnik & Kendall (2010)
American Humane, American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, & National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System
Provides tips on how to promote father engagement, including its importance and barriers.

The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children and Status Offense Advocacy (PDF - 163 KB)
American Bar Association (2010)
Defines the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), outlines when ICPC applies to status offense cases, and includes tips for lawyers representing status offenders.

(Back to Top)

Reasonable efforts

Reasonable Efforts
National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association
Provides the definition of reasonable efforts and highlights related publications.

Reasonable Efforts Checklist for Dependency Cases Involving Domestic Violence (PDF - 9,943 KB)
Goodmark (2008)
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Family Violence Department
Outlines information judges need to understand and more appropriately handle dependency cases in the context of domestic violence.

(Back to Top)