Implementing Fully Every Tool in the Child Welfare Toolbox Chuck Johnson President and CEO National Council For Adoption

Thank You!

About NCFA Mission Passionately committed to the belief that every child deserves to thrive in a nurturing, permanent family, NCFA’s mission is to meet the diverse needs of children, birthparents, adopted individuals, adoptive families, and all those touched by adoption through global advocacy, education, research, legislative action, and collaboration.

Verdict is in: Verdict is in: Children need a permanent and stable connection to a caregiver to develop normally - and this is best achieved in a permanent and legally-recognized family.

The “Serve and Return” Process – it’s this give and take between the child and the caregiver that helps the brain learn to function properly.

Science Proves the Damage Children without families experience toxic stress which often leads to permanent damage. Scientific studies prove that children’s brains don’t develop properly without consistent parental care and connection. Children who cannot bond with a parental figure during the first years of life experience toxic stress which often leads to profound, permanent damage.

Science Proves the Damage A picture of the neurological impact on a child’s brain from institutionalization Reduced brain activity Reduced IQ Smaller brain Mental health problems Inability to attach Difficulty earning a living SOME RECOVERY POSSIBLE TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

Child Welfare Continuum

Recommendation #1: Recommendation #1: Review and remove unnecessary delays to the process with the stated goal of achieving permanency for the child sooner than is happening presently.

Four Larger Goals of AFSA To promote the safety of children first and foremost To decrease the time it takes to achieve permanency for children To promote adoption and other permanency options To enhance state capacity and accountability for both safety and permanency

Major Specific Provisions of AFSA Extended categories of services to include time-limited reunification services and adoption promotion and support services Added ''safety of the child'' to every step of the case plan and review process Accelerated permanent placement: o Required States to initiate court proceedings to free a child for adoption once that child had been waiting in foster care for at least 15 of the most recent 22 months, unless there was an exception o Allowed children to be freed for adoption more quickly in extreme cases Promoted adoptions: o Rewarded States that increased adoptions with incentive funds o Required States to use reasonable efforts to move eligible foster care children towards permanent placements o Promoted adoptions of all special needs children and ensured health coverage for adopted special needs children o Prohibited States from delaying/denying placements of children based on the geographic location of the prospective adoptive families o Required States to document and report child-specific adoption efforts

Major Specific Provisions of AFSA Increased accountability: o Required HHS to establish new outcome measures to monitor and improve State performance o Required States to document child-specific efforts to move children into adoptive homes Clarified ''reasonable efforts'': o Emphasized children's health and safety o Required States to specify situations when services to prevent foster placement and reunification of families are not required Required shorter time limits for making decisions about permanent placements: o Required permanency hearings to be held no later than 12 months after entering foster care o Required States to initiate termination of parental rights proceedings after the child has been in foster care 15 of the previous 22 months, except if not in the best interest of the child, or if the child is in the care of a relative

Major Specific Provisions of AFSA States have the option not to pursue termination of parental rights (TPR) when any of these three conditions apply: o A compelling reason can be demonstrated regarding why it would not be in the best interest of the child to terminate parental rights o A relative is caring for the child Reasonable efforts are not required to reunify families when: o The child is an abandoned infant o The parent has subjected the child to “aggravated circumstances” such as torture, chronic abuse, sexual abuse, or abandonment o The parent has committed, or assisted in the committing of, the murder or voluntary manslaughter of one of the parent’s other children o The parent has committed a felony assault resulting in serious injury to the child or another child of the parent o The parent had his or her parental rights involuntarily terminated to another child o The state has determined that another reason exists that justifies not using reasonable efforts to reunify the family, with the child’s health and safety as the paramount concern

State Incentives The Adoption Incentives program provides federal bonus funds to state child welfare agencies that increase adoptions of children who are in need of new permanent families. States earn Adoption Incentive funds in four ways. For an increase in the (1) number of children adopted out of foster care overall, (2) number of children adopted at age 9 or older, (3) number of children adopted with special needs and who are under the age of 9, (4) rate at which children are adopted from foster care. (page 5)

Recommendation #2 Recommendation #2 Consider national child welfare legislation that promotes and rewards timely decision-making.

Recommendation #3 Recommendation #3 Incorporate Concurrent Planning into the existing child welfare process.

Concurrent Planning… Concurrent Planning… is an approach that seeks to eliminate delays in achieving permanency for children outside of parental care by identifying and working toward two desirable goals at the same time.

In Conclusion Incorporate Every Tool in the Child Welfare Toolbox to Achieve Permanency by: 1.Reviewing and removing unnecessary delays to the process with the stated goal of achieving permanency for the child sooner than is happening presently. 2.Considering national child welfare legislation that promotes and rewards timely decision-making. 3.Incorporating Concurrent Planning into the existing child welfare decision-making process.