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Understanding the
Importance of Permanency
Sponsored by the
NJ Children in Court Improvement Committee (CICIC)
2
Welcome!!
Joseph Ribsam, Esq., Deputy Commissioner
Area Director Valencia Coleman, Morris, Sussex and Passaic counties
Kathi Way, Atlantic, Burlington and Cape May counties
Hon. Octavia Meléndez (ret.)
3
Agenda
Overview of the PRT Process – Commitment Towards Permanency
Hearing the Youth Voice – Video
Break
Remarks – Magistrate Kathleen Lenski, Montgomery County, OH
Tools and Information to Aid in Permanency Discussions
Keeping Permanency on the Table Discussion
Evaluation and Adjournment
Learning Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
Understand the Permanency Roundtable (PRT) Process;
Consider/reconsider your professional role in permanency
discussions for older adolescents;
Explain the importance of permanency in achieving positive
outcomes for youth; and
Identify tools, techniques, policies and resources that promote
permanent connections for youth.
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What are
Permanency Roundtables?
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Key Consideration
What is a Permanency Roundtable?
A professional case consultation that is:
Structured
In-depth
Non-blaming
Relentless
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Roundtable Goals
Explore legal permanency options for the child
Stimulate thinking and learning about new
ways to accelerate permanency
Identify and address systemic barriers to
timely permanency.
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Roundtable Values
1. Urgency Relentless insistence on Permanency — No Excuses
2. Teaming Supports worker‘s efforts to expedite permanency
Non-Blaming
Concrete assistance with implementing Action Plan
3. Outcomes Fosters Learning and Accountability/Solutions-Focused
4. Optimism Creative strategies that increase worker‘s hope and energy
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Roundtable Team Members
Facilitator
Permanency Consultants (Internal & External)
Transcriber
Caseworkers
Supervisors
Specialists/Experts (as needed)
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Roundtable Phases
Welcome and Overview
Present the Case
Clarify and Explore
Brainstorm
Create Permanency Action Plan
Debrief Roundtable
Post Roundtable Follow-up
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Why Use
Permanency Roundtables?
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Key Consideration
Permanency
Define Permanency
• Reunification
• Adoption
• Legal Guardianship
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Permanency vs. Placement
Permanency vs. Services
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Permanency
Characteristics of Permanency
• Parenting
• Life-Long Intent
• Belonging
• Status (legal and relational)
• Unconditional Commitment (by the adult)
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Permanency
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Permanency Goals
When Independent Living,
Individual Stabilization or
Other Long Term Specialized Care
is the goal…
Permanency activities tend to diminish.
Engaging Non-Custodial Fathers
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Key Consideration
National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident
(Non-Custodial) Fathers (QIC-NRF) study regarding
gaps in father engagement work in child welfare system:
Generalized perception: engaging non-resident father in child‘s
case increases the work demands and the complexity of the
case
Source: Raichel, J. (2009). Engaging and Involving Fathers in a Child's Life and in the Child Welfare Case.
Protect Children Journal, 24-33.
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Non-Custodial Fathers
Important Reasons to Engage Fathers:
Non-custodial fathers‘ involvement is associated with a higher
likelihood of reunification
Children with highly involved non-custodial fathers leave care
more quickly
Higher levels of non-custodial father involvement are associated
with a substantially lower likelihood of subsequent
maltreatment allegations
Source: Malm, K., Zielewski, E., & Chen, H. (2008). More About Dads: Exploring Associations between Nonresident
Father Involvement and Child Welfare Case Outcomes. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services and Administration
for Children and Families.
Non-Custodial Fathers
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What if the youth says, ―no‖?
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Key Consideration
Addressing Resistance from Youth
Underlying Fears and Factors:
Normal part of adolescent development
Losing familial connections/changing last name
Fear of further loss (“everyone leaves”)
Anxiety about another move (unfamiliar home, school,
neighborhood)
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Video
Let‘s hear from youth…
http://njyrs.org/content/spotlight-permanency
―I met Mom when I was 14. I
needed a new home so the
agency set up a meeting. I‘d been
in many foster homes at that
point. The caseworker knew that I
was very shy, so she encouraged
me to speak up during the
meeting. But I didn‘t know what to
say. I‘d been abused so much at
that point, the only thing I could
think to ask was: ‗Are you good?‘‖
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Break
Humans of New York
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Guest Speaker
Magistrate Katie Lenski Montgomery County, OH
Hello from Ohio!
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Hello from Dayton!
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Data about Montgomery County, OH
5th most populated of the 88 counties.
Dayton is the County Seat.
18 school districts
Population: 532, 258
Median Income: $43, 281
18% of residents live in poverty
Demographics:
• 72.2% White
• 20.6% African-American
• 2.5% Other
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Hello from Montgomery County Juvenile Court!
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Hello from the Judges!
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Judges Nick Kuntz and Anthony Capizzi
Hello from the Magistrates!
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Montgomery County Juvenile Court
All judges are elected in Ohio and the Ohio legislature determines
the number of judges for each case type in the 88 counties. A judge
serves a 6 yr term with an age limit of 70.
Ohio‘s judicial system is divided into municipal courts, county
common pleas courts, and 12 appellate districts. Our highest court is
the OH Supreme Court and those justices are also elected.
Montgomery County Juvenile Court has 2 elected judges.
10 magistrates are appointed by the judges to hear all case types in
our juvenile court (some cases are precluded by statute). The
judges have discretion in the number of magistrates they appoint
depending on county budget constraints.
A judge in any court can appoint magistrates and magistrates are
appointed in almost every court across Ohio.
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Montgomery County Juvenile Court
Cases referred to our Court:
2014
• 854 Abuse, Neglect, Dependency cases
• 10, 870 Delinquency, Unruly, and traffic
• 9,435 private custody/support/parentage
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Montgomery County Juvenile Court
2015 Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency
167 alleged abused
281 alleged neglected
183 alleged dependent
In total: our cases increased to 1212 filings
addressing 1907 children. The increase in
filings is directly related to Ohio‘s opiate crisis.
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PRTs in Ohio
2014 Pilot Program—a Casey Family
Programs initiative
5 counties under the direction of Fawn
Gadel at FYLAW at the Capital Law
School.
PRTs have been expanded to 11 of the 88
Ohio counties
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Initial Thoughts about PRTs
Skepticism
Past concerns with case dumping
Special issues with delinquent youth
Poor case management
Example of a specific case
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Data from Ohio
12,000 Ohio children are in foster care
each month
15% of these children have been in care
4+ years
Ohio adoptions are declining. In 2005,
2022 children adopted whereas in 2012
only 1241 children adopted.
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Data from Ohio
Ohio ranks among the top ten states
where foster children age out of the
system without a permanent home.
2012, 1525 Ohio children aged out of
care.
25% did not have high school diploma/GED
2% completed college
50% homeless
30% incarcerated
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National Data
Average length of time in care was 19.5 months
which is a drop because in 1999 the average
length was 32 months.
Number of children aging out of care increased
from 1999-2014 from 18, 964 to 22, 392.
77% of children who are in care 26+ months,
age out of foster care.
Children in long term care experience at least 5
placement changes.
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New Jersey Adoption Facts:
For children waiting to be adopted in NJ in 2012, the
average stay in care was 34.2 months.
On average, children who were adopted in 2012 spent
37.5 months in care before the adoption was finalized.
Average age of adoption was 5.5.
Children age 9-12 adopted 13% and 13-18 only 9.1%.
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New Jersey Adoption Facts:
In 2012, 413 youth in NJ aged out of foster care
without a permanent/legal family; of the
emancipated children, 24.7% were children age 12
or younger at entry.
During this period, there were a total of 930 children
in foster care that had a case goal of long term
foster care or emancipation. These children are at a
very high risk of aging out a care without
permanency.
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New Jersey Adoption Facts:
In 2012, there were 1,023 children adopted.
African-American children who represent 14% of
all NJ children, are significantly overrepresented
in care. These children represent 41.9% of the
foster care population.
White children who are 50.2% of the population
comprise 27.1% of children in care.
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New Jersey Adoption Facts:
In 2012, most New Jersey children left foster
care to return home (54.8%) or live with relatives
or in guardianship (13.2%).
As per Outcome data from ACF, 63.7% were
reunified and 4.2% exited to guardianship.
1,023 or 21.5% of all exiting foster care were
adopted.
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Data Conclusions:
We have less children in foster care than in 1999 but
children are aging out without permanence at a greater
rate.
Children who age-out have very negative outcomes.
African-American children are disproportionately
represented in foster care.
Children placed in long-term foster care endure multiple
disruptions and placements.
The longer children are in foster care the less likely they
are to find a permanent home.
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Understanding Permanency
Legal Permanency: The GOLD
STANDARD
Relational Permanency
Cultural Permanency
Why do all three matter and should be
considered?
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Ohio’s PRT Process
2-Step Process
1. Structured Case Consultation at the
Agency with Agency personnel and outside
consultants.
2. Youth-Centered meetings—these meetings
will occur every 90 days until permanency is
achieved. (Differs from NJ approach)
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Ohio’s PRT Process
The Mantra of the PRT process
―NOT ABOUT US WITHOUT US‖
The focus on the child‘s voice is a critical
component of the PRTs in Ohio and is
considered essential for establishing
permanency.
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PRT Outcomes in Montgomery Court
Process began in 2014.
Pilot program focused on children ages 12+
who had been in foster care 17-24 months.
Since May 2014, we have had a reduction of
children in placement from 740 to 661.
Adoptions increased by 50% from 2013.
Caseloads decreased by 20% (also combination
with Alternative Response)
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Thoughts about PRTs
Judge Vandervoort from Fairfield County, OH
―The Court has noticed an increase in creative
permanency outcomes and planning through the use
of the permanency roundtables by Child Protective
Services, which the youth embrace by being involved
in decisions for their future. I feel it is a positive step
toward permanency for the youth in the system and
promotes engagement of the youth in planning for
their futures.‖
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Involvement of the Court
Case management through Annual
Reviews until permanency.
Reviews conducted either by the Court or
by a Citizens Review Board.
Permanency Court specialized dockets
Addressing filings (appointment of GAL
and counsel for parents)
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Concluding Thoughts
Kyasia‘s Story
Questions
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What tools support keeping
permanency on the table?
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Key Consideration
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Did you know that CP&P involved young people placed at Supportive
Housing Programs (e.g. those on the Adolescent Housing Hub) should
be getting life skills services within the housing program and should not
be referred out for those services?
Who Knew?
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Who Knew?
Did you know that in 2015, the New Jersey Youth Resource Spot
(njyrs.org) was launched?
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Did you know that Wraparound funds are funds of last resort available
to youth after they have closed their case with CP&P?
Who Knew?
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Did you know that an adolescent 14 and older and in an out-of-home
placement/living arrangement is eligible to participate in adolescent
services regardless of their permanency goal?
This means that someone with adoption as a goal, should still
participate in the development of their Transitional Plan for Youth
Success (CP&P Form 5-43) and can receive life skills and other
services.
Who Knew?
55
Did you know that federal mandates only allow the
Independent Living or APPLA goal to be used for youth 16+?
Who Knew?
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Did you know that research shows that young people do best
when they have strong legal and emotional connections to
caring adults?
Who Knew?
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Did you know that case practice with adolescent focuses on developing
healthy interdependence not independence?
In furtherance of this collaboration, effective July 2016, the CP&P Form 10-
10, Voluntary Services Agreement Between the Young Adult (18-21) and
the State of New Jersey is used by the Worker to establish an agreement
between CP&P and the young adult ages 18 up to 21 that does not have
legal permanence at the time of completing the form and desires to
continue receiving services or requested to re-open their case.
This form must be completed and signed by the Worker, and young adult,
within one month of his or her reaching the age of 18. This agreement is
renewed annually from the date of the young adult‘s signature.
Who Knew?
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Panel Discussion
Humans of New York
―I found myself in my forties and I‘d never had
children. And one night I was watching a show
on television, and it was talking about how many
older children are in foster care, and I decided it
was something I should do. I work now as a
counselor who advises families considering older
adoptions. So many foster children get returned
to the system when they hit their teenage years
because the parents have unrealistic
expectations. People expect foster children to be
grateful and well behaved and respectful. But
many of these children have been traumatized,
abandoned, and hurt. They are going to push
your buttons just like any other teenager, and
they are going to force you to deal with your own
issues. It requires a lot of patience to give them
the time, support, and space to process their
life.‖
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Wrap-Up
Contributions to Positive Outcomes
Professionals who believe youth can be adopted
Empower youth in their own planning
Youth-centered recruitment to build relationships
Forge permanent relationships before legal
Post-adoption resources
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Evaluations & Adjournment
Thanks for participating!
