Transcript Slide 1

Pennsylvania Permanency
Barriers Project
Anne Marie Lancour
Heidi Redlich Epstein
Mimi Laver
Kathleen McNaught
Elizabeth Thornton
Cristina Cooper
Jeffrey Adolph
Margaret Burt
Honorable Stephen Rideout (ret.)
Scott Trowbridge
American Bar Association
Center on Children and the Law
History of the Project
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1989 – Termination Barriers Project began with funding from the New York State
Department of Social Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
1991— NYS Office of Children and Family Services continued to fund the
Termination Barriers Project for the next 13 years.
2004 – The project was successfully completed in 20 small, medium, and large
counties throughout NYS.
2004 – Pennsylvania contracts with ABA for largest Permanency Barriers Project to
date.
2004 – KY and WY contract with the ABA for the Permanency Barriers Project
2005 – ABA wins Adoption Excellence Award for work on the NY Permanency
Barriers Project
Goal: Reduce children’s stay
in foster care
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Approach
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Locally developed action plans
Small steps that add up
Permanency planning focus
Key Components
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Permanency Planning Specialist
Advisory Board
ABA Project Director
Project Tasks
The project undertakes five major tasks:
1. Identifying and analyzing delays;
2. Interactively developing recommendations and
implementing reforms;
3. Establishing written protocols, procedures, and
providing multidisciplinary training;
4. Monitoring reforms and changes; and
5. Sharing project results throughout the state.
Reform Efforts
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Early identification of children’s needs
Refining court procedures in permanency
planning areas
Legal analysis and technical assistance
Training the child welfare agency and legal
staff
Sharing information with other counties and
states
Problems Causing Delays
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Missing or unidentified parents
Relatives entering case late
Increase in adolescent population
Lack of training on permanency planning issues
Lack of written procedures
Late starts in offering services
Inadequate concurrent planning
Difficulty in obtaining evaluations and/or expert
testimony
Delays in court procedures
Current PA Project Counties
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Beaver
Butler
Clearfield
Lehigh
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Montgomery
Washington
Westmoreland
Past PA Project Counties
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Armstrong
Berks
Blair
Centre
Cumberland
Huntingdon
Lancaster
Lackawanna
Luzerne
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Lycoming
McKean
Mifflin
Northampton
Northumberland
Philadelphia
Venango
Warren
York
New York Results
New York Results
Average Time Saved in 20 Counties
15 months
Total Money Saved
$15,272,000
Pennsylvania Results
County
Avg. Time Saved
Money Saved
Luzerne
22 months
$660,000
Cumberland
7 months
$621,600
Northumberland
5 months
$240,000
Berks
5 months
$420,000
Mifflin
5 months
$222,000
Lancaster
7 months
$386,400
Huntingdon
5 months
$234,000
Northampton
15 months
$468,000
York
12 months
$446,400
Venango
10 months
$ 60,000
Blair
4 months
$552,000
Lycoming
9 months
$788,400
McKean
10 months
$ 60,000
Philadelphia
15 months
$2,070,000
Warren
2.4 months
$109,440
Armstrong
6 months
$243,600
Centre
21 months
$400,000
Totals
9 months avg
$7,981,840
Project Achievements:
Blair County
The Barriers to Permanency Project has
permitted Blair County to develop a Family
Treatment Drug Court.
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The Project Director in Blair County has facilitated
the county’s participation in the upcoming National
Drug Court Institute Training to develop a family
treatment court model.
A family treatment drug court will provide
coordinate services, track progress, and encourage
accountability for substance abusing families.
Project Achievements:
Northampton County
Northampton County successfully utilized the
Barriers to Permanency Project to improve
collaboration and communication between
the Agency and the Court.
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The Agency and the Juvenile Court developed an
Interim Court Directive/Permanency Plan which is
prepared at the conclusion of every permanency
hearing and distributed to families before they
leave court.
The Interim Directive outlines expectations of both
the family and the agency and eliminates delays in
service referrals.
Project Achievements:
Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County successfully utilized the Project to
introduce a new court procedure to increase
accountability and expedite permanency.
The Agency and the Juvenile Court created an informal
Dependency Compliance Conference which documents and
tracks compliance by both the agency and family.
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DCC hearings track both success and failure and permits an
immediate response when a family starts to struggle.
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More frequent and meaningful reviews of family progress
promotes concurrent planning.
Project Achievements:
Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County has used the Project to
initiate a 90-day multidisciplinary case
conference process.
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The 90-day case conference seeks to promote
permanency, engage families, frontload services,
and encourage cross-system collaboration.
The case conference is used in every new case 90
days after removal from the home to evaluate
progress, review service referrals, and prepare for
the first permanency hearing.
Questions/Contact Information
Anne Marie Lancour
ABA Center on Children and the Law
740 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202)662-1756 (phone)
(202)662-1755 (fax)
[email protected]
www.abanet.org/child