Permanency Roundtables -Texas Style! October 2012 Jenny Hinson, Division Administrator for Permanency Carol Self, Lead Permanency Program Specialist

Permanency Roundtable a (PRT) is an internal case consultation process designed to facilitate a discussion about a child’s permanency plan to develop a child specific permanency action plans is a structured meeting facilitated by a permanency practitioner and attended by CPS subject matter experts who play a specific role in the meeting does NOT replace any permanency planning meeting

Permanency Roundtable Goals  Develop child specific permanency action plans with multiple permanency strategies  Establish lifelong connections to and/or supports for these children and youth  Stimulate thinking with agency staff and develop/model clinical practice as we seek pathways to permanency for these and other children  Identify ways to involve the youth in their permanency goals and play an active role in their outcomes  Identify and address barriers to permanency that might be eliminated through professional development, policy change, resource development and the engagement of system partners  Explore ways to improve collaboration with children, youth, families, external partners in the permanency planning process.

Impact and Benefits Build on existing good practices Identify barriers and solutions (child specific and systemic) Improved development around topic of permanency by creating staffing forum including tenured agency staff Model outline for case presentation that can be used in other venues Improved concurrent planning; case planning documentation; court report documentation

Process 6 phases –Welcome and Overview –Case presentation –Clarify and Explore –Brainstorm –Create Permanency Action Plan –Debrief Case Consultation Follow up by CPS Permanency Practitioner Each PRT generally takes 2 hours for one child and hours for a sibling group

Participants Permanency Practitioner (permanency expert/facilitator) Master Practitioner (policy/resource expert) Caseworker (expert on case) Supervisor (expert on case) Scribe Permanency Consultant (permanency expert) Other internal subject matter experts (as needed)

PRT Criteria PMC with and without TPR Children ages 6 and up Not intended to be permanent placement Sibling groups Length of time in care Race/ethnicity

Preparation for PRT Paperwork Case summary form Initial CPOS Most recent court report Family Tree Training Permanency Values Training and Orientation Skills training (before PRT—one time event)

Pre-PRT Case Mining Diligent Search Person Searches Consultation with: child/youth, caregivers, ad litem, CASA, family members Post-PRT Update Child Plan of Service Begin Action Items Discuss PRT recommendations with child/youth and others Monthly follow up on action items

Outcomes Georgia saw # of children in foster care decrease by approximately 50% 52% of children in care over 18 months exited to positive permanency Kentucky 30% of children staffed over a one year period achieved permanency

Texas PMC Data 29,951 children in DFPS Conservatorship 12,119 children in PMC 8871 PMC with TPR 3164 PMC w/out TPR

Current Status of Implementation Hired 11 Regional Permanency Practitioners Hired 1 State Office Permanency Practitioner Trained over 1000 staff and stakeholders in Permanency Values Conducted 250 PRTs Currently Monitoring action plans Improved permanency status for 18% Currently implementing PRTs in Regions 8 and 10 Implementing PRTs in Regions 4 and 5 in January, 2013 Complete statewide Implementation by November 2013

All Children Deserve a Lifelong Connection to a Family