Permanency Planning

Permanency planning is the process of assessing and preparing a child for long term care when in out-of-home placements such as kinship, foster care or institutions. A care plan must centre on what is in the child’s best interests, and therefore requires an ongoing assessment of the child and her needs. A guardian may be appointed as a further protection of a child’s rights.

The ultimate goal of permanency planning is to ensure a secure environment with lifelong bonds that will support the child into adulthood. For most children this will be provided by their birth parents and relatives, and therefore family reunification should be the primary goal. Where reunification is not possible or suitable for the child, adoption or Islamic kafalah is usually the next best option since it offers more stability and enables the child to develop a lasting attachment to carers.

Each child is an individual and brings a unique set of requirements. The choice of placement must therefore consider the child’s cultural and religious background, abilities and any special needs, attachments to significant people and how such relationships can be maintained, their education, health and overall development. Ideally, children should be kept close to their original communities in order help maintain their identity and to reduce disruption to their everyday lives.

While short term care such as fostering can provide a safe place for a child and time to assess their needs, it is often an unsuitable long term option since it is a temporary arrangement that is prone to breakdown. Social workers or other child protection paraprofessionals in the community must determine the use of short term care and the development of longer term plans with the full participation of the child, birth family, and prospective caretakers, providing opportunities for contact with each other, and preparing all for moves.

All placements should be monitored regularly to ensure the child is safe and his/her physical, emotional, and educational needs are met. This includes children who have been recently returned to their birth family or who are newly placed with adoptive parents. Monitoring enables the provision of family support services, and helps to reduce placement breakdown and incidences of abuse.

The resources in this section focus on the factors that should be considered when planning a child’s care, and the advantages and disadvantages of placement options.

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What Matters and Who Matters to Young People Leaving Care: A New Approach to Planning

Peter Appleton, 28 Mar 2024

A valuable resource for practitioners, researchers and educators, this book puts forward a powerful case to think more broadly and flexibly about transition planning with care-leavers, placing the voices of young people at its heart. This book grew out of qualitative research interviews held with a small and diverse sample of young adults who were in the process of transitioning from out-of-home care (foster care, kinship care, or residential care) in London, England.

hat Matters and Who Matters to Young People Leaving Care

Outcomes of Youth with Foster Care Experiences Based on Permanency Outcome – Adoption, Aging Out, Long-Term Foster Care, and Reunification: A systematic review

Abigail Rose Lindner, Ryan Hanlon, 05 Dec 2023

This is a systematic review of literature published from 2002 to 2022 to assess the differences in outcomes of children and youth who were adopted out of foster care compared to children and youth in foster care (CYFC) who were in other permanency placements (reunified, aged out, long-term foster care). The review yielded twelve (N = 12) studies from Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Relationships That Persist and Protect: The Role of Enduring Relationships on Early-Adult Outcomes among Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care

Nathanael J. Okpych, Sunggeun (Ethan) Park, Jenna Powers, Justin S. Harty, Mark E. Courtney, 14 Jul 2023

This U.S.-based study explores how common enduring relationships are among youth making the transition out of care and whether having an enduring relationship improves their outcomes in early adulthood.

Regional Mapping of Activists with Lived Experience of Alternative Care in Latin America and the Caribbean

Doncel with support from the Latin American Network of Care Leavers, Better Care Network, Changing the Way We Care, 27 Oct 2022

This is the first regional mapping of activists with care experience in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Regional Mapping of Activists with Lived Experience of Alternative Care in Latin America and the Carribean

Mapeo Regional de Activistas Que Vivieron en Cuidados Alternativos en América Latina y el Caribe

Doncel with support from the Latin American Network of Care Leavers, Better Care Network, Changing the Way We Care, 27 Oct 2022

Para garantizar que las personas que han vivido en cuidados alternativos puedan participar de los procesos y decisiones para mejorar los sistemas de cuidado, Doncel junto a la Red Latinoamericana de Egresados de Protección, Better Care Network y Cambiando la Forma en Que Cuidamos (Changing The Way We Care en inglés) llevaron adelante el primer mapeo regional de activistas que vivieron en cuidados alternativos en América Latina y el Caribe.

Is the Future Frightening? Anxiety Among Young People in Care in Poland as they Move to Independence

Anna Koprowicz, Iwona Gumowska, 19 Sep 2022

The aim of this study was to investigate the circumstances that contribute to the future anxiety affecting looked after children in Poland as they move to independence.

Adoption and Fostering Quarterly Journal

The Evolving Care Leavers Networks in South Asia: An Overview

Gurneet Kaur Kalra, Leena Prasad, 07 Sep 2022

This article focuses on some of the care leavers networks in South Asia.

Care Experienced Adults in Education: Barriers and Facilitators

Victoria Burns, Tony Cassidy, 01 Sep 2022

This U.K.-based study explored the life experiences of care experienced adults in higher education to understand the factors that impeded or enhanced their journeys.

Peer Parent Programs in Child Welfare: A Systematic Review

Emily Rian Saeteurna, Qi Wua, Natalia Vasiliou, Deborah Mabingani, Judy Krysika, 30 Jun 2022

This U.S. based study systematically summarizes the effectiveness of peer parent programs in child welfare on case outcomes, specifically permanency, time-in-care, and re-entry post reunification.

Child Abuse and Neglect - The International Journal

Provision of Transitional Housing: A Socially Sustainable Solution for Care Leavers in Zimbabwe

Getrude Dadirai Gwenzi, 11 Jun 2022

This paper presents findings from a study on care leavers’ experiences of transitional housing at three institutions in Zimbabwe. Using the social sustainability conceptual framework, the study found that transitional housing offers continuity of care, relationships, and a smoother, gradual transition from care to independence.