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Children Active
in their Foster Care Placement Plans with New Program
By Jenna Gant
January 13, 2016
It can be hard for older children going through the foster care system
to be adopted; they lack the permanent status with a family they so
long for. A new program allows the 12-18 year-olds to explore ways to
help control their own future.
Six Ohio counties – Athens, Fairfield, Guernsey, Hamilton, Montgomery,
and Summit – participated in the pilot program in 2014, and it has
since grown to 11 counties across the state. Fawn Gadel, with the
Family and Youth Law Center at Capital University and the pilot
program’s coordinator, said the Youth-Centered Permanency Roundtables
(PRTs) use a model that helps establish permanent connections for
foster children and allows the children to be included in the process.
“This initiative was started by Casey Family Programs as a means to
reduce the number of children emancipating from foster care without a
permanent home and is part of Ohio’s larger initiative to reduce the
number of children emancipating from Ohio’s foster care system without
a form of legal permanency,” Gadel said.
Led by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and Public
Children Services Association of Ohio, the PRTs focus on finding
permanency for those older children who have been in foster care for 17
months or longer.
Most PRTs consist of the child, his or her caseworker and supervisor, a
facilitator, and someone with experience in helping children establish
permanency. A support person identified by the foster care child is
also included in the PRTs team that empowers the youth by selecting
goals and people who are important to them and creating an action plan
to achieve some kind of “permanent support relationship” for the child.
The child directs his or her action plan and the adults help guide them
through the process.
“I believe the Youth Centered Permanency Roundtables help youth in
foster care by creating a sense of urgency surrounding creating
permanency for each youth involved in the initiative,” Gadel said.
Tim Beasley, Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services
permanency planning coordinator, said there are generally three types
of child welfare custody:
Temporary custody, parental rights haven’t been terminated with a goal
of reunification with the parent.
Long-term foster care called “Planned Permanent Living Arrangement,”
where the child is not available for adoption and generally remains in
foster care until he or she turns 18.
Permanent custody, parental rights have been terminated and the child
can be adopted.
Beasley said the PRTs entrust the children when making important life
choices.
“Those involved in the Montgomery County PRT program credit its success
to the fact that the roundtables are youth-driven,” Beasley said. “The
meeting focuses on what the youth wants for their future – where they
want to live – and allows them the opportunity to formulate the plan on
how to make that happen. The youth is empowered and sees that
oftentimes – for the first time – they are being heard and valued.”
Subsequent meetings throughout the year are led by the foster care
children to evaluate the progress of their plan and change or add goals
if needed until permanency is achieved, Beasley said.
Nearly 40 children have gone through PRTs in Fairfield County, and
Juvenile and Probate Judge Terre Vandervoort said a third wave of
roundtable sessions soon will include 13 more youth.
“In court, we have seen motions and requests for different alternative
permanency planning at either the annual review or oral hearings on
those motions,” Judge Vandervoort said.
The Fairfield County court receives reports from Child Protective
Services that includes what PRTs have happened or will be happening and
the result or outcome of the PRTs. Judge Vandervoort said some of the
court’s staff members have been asked to be the youth’s support people
during the PRTs sessions.
“The court has noticed an increase in creative permanency outcomes and
planning through the use of permanency roundtables by Child Protective
Services, which the youth embrace by being involved in decisions for
their future,” Judge Vandervoort said. “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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