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Permanency Outcome 1:
Children Have Permanency and Stability
in Their Living Situations. (Items 5-10)
Item 5: Foster Care Re-Entries
Respondents:
Birth Parents, Foster and Adoptive Parent(s), Group Care Provider(s), Guardian(s) Ad Litem/Legal Representative(s), Other, Quality Assurance Staff, Substance Abuse Representative(s)
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in preventing multiple entries of children into foster care?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
Evaluate the effectiveness of agency policy and procedures intended to identify risk factors and reduce the likelihood of re-entry when discharging children from foster care. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in the agency's policies and procedures.
Describe any specific types of cases or situations where foster care re-entry is especially problematic in this location and evaluate the agency's response to these types of cases or situations.
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Item 6: Stability of Foster Care Placement
Respondents:
Birth Parents, Child Attorney(s), Foster and Adoptive Parent(s), Group Care Provider(s), Guardian(s) Ad Litem/Legal Representative(s), Independent Living Coordinator(s), Juvenile Justice Representative(s), Local Agency - Foster Care Staff, Local Child Welfare Agency Administrator(s), Other, Quality Assurance Staff, Relative Caregiver(s), State Foster/Adoptive Parent Association, Supervisor(s) from the Local Agency, Youth Being Served by the Agency, Youth Being Served by the Local Agency, Youth Service Agency Representative(s)
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in providing placement stability for children in foster care (that is, minimizing placement changes for children in foster care)?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
Do children in foster care change placements frequently? Describe the reasons for frequent foster care placement changes and identify strengths and barriers to placement stability.
Explain how initial shelters, assessment centers, or other temporary placements are used, the expected timeframes for their use, and whether these timeframes generally are met. If temporary placements are not used, explain how they are avoided.
What helps children to remain, or prevents children from remaining, in stable placements while in foster care?
Describe any specific types of cases or situations where placement stability is especially problematic in this location and evaluate the agency's response.
Describe how placement decisions are matched to the needs of the children. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in how placement decisions are matched to children's needs.
Evaluate the effectiveness of services and/or supports to prevent placement moves provided to foster parents and relatives providing care. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in these services and/or supports.
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Item 7: Permanency Goal for Child
Respondents:
Administrative Review Bodies, Agency Attorney(s), Birth Parents, CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocate(s), Child and Family Advocate(s), Child Attorney(s), Foster and Adoptive Parent(s), Guardian(s) Ad Litem/Legal Representative(s), Independent Living Coordinator(s), Juvenile Court Judge(s), Juvenile Justice Representative(s), Local Administrative Review Bodies, Local Agency - Foster Care Staff, Local Child Welfare Agency Administrator(s), Major Tribal Representative(s), Other, Relative Caregiver(s), State Administrative Review Bodies, State Child Welfare Director(s), State Child Welfare Program Specialist(s), State Foster/Adoptive Parent Association, Supervisor(s) from the Local Agency, Youth Being Served by the Agency, Youth Being Served by the Local Agency, Youth Service Agency Representative(s)
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in determining the appropriate permanency goals for children on a timely basis when they enter foster care?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
Evaluate the agency's procedures for, and effectiveness in, consistently establishing appropriate and timely permanency goals for children in foster care. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in the agency's procedures.
Evaluate the agency's effectiveness in periodically re-examining and making timely decisions about changing the permanency goals for children in foster care whenever the child's circumstances change, and particularly for those with a goal of other planned permanent living arrangement. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in effectiveness.
Does the agency document to the court (or does the court review) compelling reasons for choosing a goal of other planned permanent living arrangement instead of reunification, adoption, or relative placement?
How does the agency use concurrent planning (working toward two different goals simultaneously, such as adoption and reunification)? Evaluate the agency's efforts, and identify strengths and barriers or gaps in concurrent planning.
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Item 8: Reunification, Guardianship, or Permanent Placement With Relatives
Respondents:
Administrative Review Bodies, Agency Attorney(s), Birth Parents, Child and Family Advocate(s), Child Attorney(s), ICPC Staff, Juvenile Court Judge(s), Local Administrative Review Bodies, Major Tribal Representative(s), Other, Parent Attorney(s), Prevention and/or Reunification Provider(s), Quality Assurance Staff, Relative Caregiver(s), State Administrative Review Bodies
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in helping children achieve, in a timely manner, permanency goals of reunification, guardianship, or permanent placement with relatives?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
Evaluate the effectiveness of the agency's policies and procedures to reunify children with their parents or other family members when appropriate and in a timely manner. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in the agency's policies and procedures.
Evaluate how well the agency uses policies and procedures to help children with the permanency goal of guardianship. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in their use.
Evaluate how well the agency uses policies and procedures to help children with the permanency goal of permanent placement with relatives. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in their use.
Identify any factors that affect the achievement of permanency goals other than the agency's policies and procedures. For example, what impact does the court system have?
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Item 9: Adoption
Respondents:
Administrative Review Bodies, Agency Attorney(s), CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocate(s), Child and Family Advocate(s), Child Attorney(s), Court Improvement Program Coordinator(s), Guardian(s) Ad Litem/Legal Representative(s), Juvenile Court Judge(s), Local Administrative Review Bodies, Local Agency - Foster Care Staff, Local Child Welfare Agency Administrator(s), Other, Quality Assurance Staff, State Administrative Review Bodies, State Court System Representative(s)
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in achieving timely (within 24 months or less) adoption when that is appropriate for a child?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
Evaluate the effectiveness of the agency's policies and procedures (for example, the recruitment process, timeliness of home studies) in promoting timely adoption of children. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in effectiveness.
Describe any specific types of cases or situations where timely adoption is especially problematic in this location; e.g., older children or children with special needs (for example, children with physical, mental, or emotional handicaps, or children in sibling groups or who are members of ethnic minorities), and evaluate the agency's response.
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Item 10: Other Planned Permanent Living Arrangement
Respondents:
Administrative Review Bodies, Birth Parents, CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocate(s), Child and Family Advocate(s), Child Attorney(s), Group Care Provider(s), Guardian(s) Ad Litem/Legal Representative(s), Independent Living Coordinator(s), Juvenile Court Judge(s), Juvenile Justice Representative(s), Local Administrative Review Bodies, Local Agency - Foster Care Staff, Other, State Administrative Review Bodies, Youth Being Served by the Agency, Youth Being Served by the Local Agency
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in establishing timely planned permanent living arrangements for children in foster care who do not have the goal of reunification, adoption, guardianship, or permanent placement with relatives?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
Evaluate the effectiveness of the agency's policies and procedures that support attainment of this goal.
Identify any factors, other than the agency's policies and procedures, that either positively or negatively affect attainment of this goal.
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Permanency Outcome 2:
The Continuity of Family Relationships and
Connections Is
Preserved for Children. (Items 11-16)
Item 11: Proximity of Foster Care Placement
Respondents:
Birth Parents, Child Placing Service Provider(s), Juvenile Justice Representative(s), Licensing Staff, Major Tribal Representative(s), Other, Parent Attorney(s), Supervisor(s) from the Local Agency, Tribal Representative(s), Youth Being Served by the Agency, Youth Being Served by the Local Agency
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in placing foster children close to their parents or their own communities or counties?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
How frequently does the agency place children out of State or otherwise not in close proximity to their parents or their own community or county? To what extent are these placements for reasons that are not consistent with the child's best interests and permanency goals, such as the State not having a sufficient array of placement and/or treatment resources?
Describe any specific types of cases or situations where placing children in close proximity is especially problematic in this location and evaluate the agency's response.
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Item 12: Placement With Siblings
Respondents:
Birth Parents, Child Placing Service Provider(s), Foster and Adoptive Parent(s), Group Care Provider(s), Guardian(s) Ad Litem/Legal Representative(s), Licensing Staff, Major Tribal Representative(s), Other, Relative Caregiver(s), Supervisor(s) from the Local Agency, Tribal Representative(s), Youth Being Served by the Agency, Youth Being Served by the Local Agency
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in keeping brothers and sisters together in foster care?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
Under what circumstances and how frequently are siblings not placed together? What measures does the agency take to avoid separating siblings?
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Item 13: Visiting With Parents and Siblings in Foster Care
Respondents:
Birth Parents, Child Attorney(s), Guardian(s) Ad Litem/Legal Representative(s), Local Agency - Foster Care Staff, Other, Youth Being Served by the Agency, Youth Being Served by the Local Agency
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in planning and facilitating visiting of children in foster care with their parents? How effective is the agency in planning and facilitating visiting among siblings placed separately in foster care?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
Evaluate how well the agency assures that children in foster care have visits, when appropriate, with their mothers, including whether such visits occur frequently enough to meet the children's needs.
Evaluate how well the agency assures that children have opportunities for visits with their mothers that are of sufficient quality as to support and sustain the family relationships (for example, through the location of the visits and by providing meaningful opportunities for appropriate interaction).
Evaluate how well the agency assures that children in foster care have visits, when appropriate, with their fathers, including whether such visits occur frequently enough to meet the children's needs.
Evaluate how well the agency assures that children have opportunities for visits with fathers that are of sufficient quality as to support and sustain the family relationships (for example, through the location of the visits and by providing meaningful opportunities for appropriate interaction).
Evaluate how well the agency assures that children in foster care have visits, when appropriate, with their siblings placed separately in foster care, including whether such visits occur frequently enough to meet their needs.
Evaluate how well the agency assures that children have opportunities for visits with other siblings in foster care that are of sufficient quality as to support and sustain the family relationships (for example, through the location of the visits and by providing meaningful opportunities for appropriate interaction).
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Item 14: Preserving Connections
Respondents:
Birth Parents, Independent Living Coordinator(s), Local Agency - Foster Care Staff, Major Tribal Representative(s), Other, Relative Caregiver(s), Supervisor(s) from the Local Agency, Tribal Representative(s), Youth Being Served by the Agency, Youth Being Served by the Local Agency, Youth Service Agency Representative(s)
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in preserving important connections for children in foster care, such as connections to neighborhood, community, faith, family, tribe, school, and friends?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
What actions does the agency take to preserve children's important connections while they are in foster care?
Evaluate how well the agency takes action to maintain the connections of Native American children by identifying children as Native American, giving timely notice to children's tribe(s) of their opportunity to intervene in court proceedings, and placing children in homes consistent with tribal placement preferences (for example, placement with extended family or tribal members).
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Item 15: Relative Placement
Respondents:
Birth Parents, ICPC Staff, Independent Living Coordinator(s), Juvenile Justice Representative(s), Licensing Staff, Major Tribal Representative(s), Other, Relative Caregiver(s), State Court System Representative(s), Supervisor(s) from the Local Agency, Tribal Representative(s), Youth Being Served by the Agency, Youth Being Served by the Local Agency
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in identifying relatives who could care for children entering foster care, and using them as placement resources when appropriate?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
Evaluate how well the agency conducts searches for maternal relatives and uses them as placement resources upon a child's entry into foster care and whenever a child's placement is changed, as appropriate. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in these searches.
Evaluate how well the agency conducts searches for paternal relatives and uses them as placement resources upon a child's entry into foster care and whenever a child's placement is changed, as appropriate. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in these searches.
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Item 16: Relationship of Child in Care With Parents
Respondents:
Birth Parents, Local Agency - Foster Care Staff, Other, Parent Attorney(s), Supervisor(s) from the Local Agency, Youth Being Served by the Agency, Youth Being Served by the Local Agency
Core Question:
How effective is the agency in promoting or helping to maintain the parent-child relationship for children in foster care, when it is appropriate to do so?
Please use these Follow-up Questions as needed to fully explore the Core Question:
Evaluate how well the agency engages in specific activities other than visitation that support mother-child relationships in foster care. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in providing opportunities for involvement in the child's life.
Evaluate how well the agency engages in specific activities other than visitation that support father-child relationships in foster care. Identify strengths and barriers or gaps in providing opportunities for involvement in the child's life.
Evaluate how well the agency supports, where appropriate, parent-child relationships when parents are incarcerated or not living in close proximity to the child.
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