National Perspectives on Long-Term Foster Care

MINNESOTA NATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON LONG TERM FOSTER CARE AS A PERMANECY OPTION Gerald P. Mallon, DSW National Resource Center for Foster care and Permanency Planning at the Hunter College School of Social Work A Service of the Children’s Bureau/ACF/DHHS

Some Things to Keep in Mind l There are multiple perspectives to be considered l There are no one size fits all approaches to working with families l There are some models that may work, with adaptations for the state of Minnesota l There are no perfect solutions

Assessing the Context of Permanency and Reunification Westat and Chapin Hall Study December, 2001

Report examined six themes: 1. Identification and examination of reunification practice and services in 25 states; 2. Analysis of the patterns of reunification and reentry to track experiences of children in foster care:

Assessing the Context of Permanency and Reunification Westat and Chapin Hall Study December, An exploration of the role of race in reunification; 4. An examination of the reunification case decision making process

Assessing the Context of Permanency and Reunification Westat and Chapin Hall Study December, A framework for thinking about permanency with a focus on the status of reunification within the permanency continuum; 6. Consideration of the issues involved in evaluating programs for permanency and reunification

Permanency and Reunification Trends in 25 States Topics included: l state system structure l permanency options in the state l state viewpoints on permanency & reunification l service provider structure l current child welfare initiatives l future options for permanency and reunification

Permanency Options Themes l Permanency is more than adoption l Expedited permanency options include: concurrent planning, guardianship, connections with fictive kin, and adoption

Permanency Options Themes l 100% of states surveyed ranked reunification as the first permanency option l 65% ranked adoption as the second permanency option l relative care ranked third; 92% of states had a relative care option; 56% had a guardianship option

Permanency Options Themes l 80% of states surveyed reported a long- term or permanent foster care option, particularly for older adolescents

Permanent Foster Care Definition Permanent foster care is used as a goal when a foster parent is willing to keep the child in the home until emancipation, but is not willing to adopt

Long Term Foster Care Definition Long term foster care is typically in a residential or group home setting or family foster home where the placement appears stable and long-term, but where there is no formal commitment to keep the child in the placement until emancipation

Long Term Foster Care Part II of Definition Long term foster care is also used when there is some chance that the goal could be changed to reunification, relative placement, or adoption at some future date

Increased Importance of Relatives l Relatives are receiving more attention as an important resource for permanency for children and youth l Efforts to locate relatives as soon as a child comes into care is a search & rescue matter - Red Cross metaphor l Funding and supporting initiatives to find adoptive homes and encourage and support relatives who can provide permanent homes also seem to be key

Minnesota Permanency Options (in order of preference) l Return Home l Adoption l Relative legal custody l Long-term foster care

Consequences of LTFC According to the National Resource Center for Youth Development, between 20,000 and 25,000 youth aged 16 and older transition from the foster care system each year.

Consequences of LTFC AFCARS data indicates that of the 547,000 children in foster care as of March 1999, 45% were 11 years of age or older. 33% had been in care for more than three years; 61% had a goal of either adoption or reunification; indicating that 39% had less defined plans. 7% of youth in foster care (36,400) had a goal of emancipation

Consequences of LTFC Youth in foster care often do not get the help they need with high school completion, employment, accessing health care, continued educational opportunities, housing and transitional living arrangements.

Consequences of LTFC Studies of youth who have left foster care have shown they are more likely than those in the general population to not finish high school, be unemployed, and be dependent on public assistance. Many find themselves in prison, homeless, or parents at an early age.

Array of Permanency Options for Older Adolescents l Decision Making Models: Family Group Conferencing: Mediation l Reunification: Search and Rescue (Red Cross Model); Individual Targeted Recruitment l Adoption: specialized for adolescents l Less Traditional Models: Finding what works; fictive kinship networks

Models of Permanency Options for Older Adolescents in The U.S. l Massachusetts Families for Children Lauren Frey, (617) , x. 342; l You Gotta Believe, New York Pat O’ Brien, (800) ; l Intensive Family Reunification Program M.B. Lippold, (317) ,

Models of Permanency Options for Older Adolescents in The U.S. l Illinois Department of Children and Family Services: Permanency for Older Adolescent Waiver Project, Chicago, IL Peggy Slater, (312) ; l Catholic Community Services, Tacoma, WA Mary Stone Smith, (253) ;

References & Resources The Permanency For Teens Project. February, State of Iowa. For a copy, NRCFCPP Families for Teens. March, State of Ohio. For a copy NRCFCPP. Permanency Planning: Creating Life Time Connections. April, National report. For a copy download it from NRCYD web site (

References & Resources Permanency Planning and the Older Adolescent: Connections for a Lifetime. April, State of Oklahoma. For a copy, NRCFCPP Foster Care: What Young People in the System Say is Working. January, State of Washington, Office of the Family and Children’s Ombudsman. For a copy download from

References & Resources Assessing the Context of Permanency and Reunification in the Foster Care System. December, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services For a copy, Westat Courtney, M., Piliavin, I., Grogan-Kaylor, A., & Nesmith, A. (2001). Foster Youth Transitions to Adulthood: A Longitudinal View of Youth Leaving Care, Child Welfare, 80, (6),

Gerald P. Mallon, DSW Associate Professor Executive Director National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning at the Hunter College School of Social Work 129 East 79th Street, Suite 801 New York, New York center line/ fax -