Casey Family Programs worked with the Georgia Department of Human Services and Care Solutions, Inc. in 2009 to address permanency for nearly 500 children who had been in foster care for longer periods of time (mean of 4 years).
Permanency roundtable consultations brought together caseworkers, case supervisors and experts from inside and outside the department to scrutinize the cases and brainstorm ideas for achieving permanency for a child, bringing fresh perspectives to the cases.
Prior to the roundtables, case managers had identified 841 key perceived barriers across all cases to permanency. For nearly two-thirds of the children, case managers identified a child-related issue as a key barrier; for just over one-third of the children, case managers identified a birth family issue as a key barrier.
The roundtable consultations resulted in the development of a permanency action plan for each child, with specific steps for moving the child toward permanency. It was hoped that the successful implementation and hard work of all participants would translate into greater permanency for youth in the care of the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
The 12-month follow-up found that 31% of the children achieved legal permanency, and only one child had subsequently re-entered care. Analyses showed that younger children (age 0-6) were more likely to achieve permanency within 12 months of the roundtable, similar to findings in other foster care studies. An analysis of permanency statewide showed significant improvement in achieving legal permanency once roundtables were implemented.
Three evaluation reports have been published about the project so far:
This report shows how Casey Family Programs worked with the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) and Care Solutions, Inc., to address permanency for nearly 500 children who had been in foster care for long periods of time. It provides guidance to child welfare agencies that might benefit from the innovative permanency roundtable approach to find family homes for children who are considered “stuck” in the foster care system.
Permanency Roundtable Project: Participant Evaluation Report
This primarily qualitative report focuses on roundtable team member (staff) feedback obtained via on-site debriefings, evaluation forms and focused group discussions. Participants provided many suggestions for improving the process, many of which have already been incorporated in Georgia's ongoing permanency roundtables. The hope is that the report will help other jurisdictions implementing permanency roundtables.
Permanency Roundtable Project: 12-Month Outcome Evaluation Report
This report provides the results of a 12-month follow-up on child outcomes, an analysis of permanency predictors, and a statewide comparison of permanency achievement in the year preceding roundtable implementation and the year in which roundtables were implemented.
A 24-month follow-up evaluation is underway and is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.
Click on links above to see the three reports, which are also posted on the Casey Family Programs website (www.casey.org).
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