Permanency Outcomes for Children in Erie County Department of Social Services Brett Loschiavo, Public Administration · Project Advisor – Dr. Suparna Soni The foster care system is something that many children and families have to navigate in this country. In the 1980s and into the 1990s, children remained in foster care for years. The implementation of The Adoption and Safe Families Act (AFSA) in 1997 attempted to change this by emphasizing that the goal of foster care is to have permanency for a child, whether it be reunification or adoption. The more stable a child’s home is, the better off they will be. The purpose of this program evaluation is to determine what the outcome is for children placed in foster care through the Erie County Department of Social Services. The Adoption and Safe Families Act requires that the state or local district move to terminate parental rights of children who are in foster care 15 out of the last 22 months. During this process, permanency for a child is crucial. This quantitative study will analyze the outcomes of children in care, whether they go back to the families, remain in care, are adopted or age out of the system in Erie County. Recommendations will be made on what strategies may be effective in Erie County for a child's permanency. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 attempted to alter policy to keep families together and children out of foster care. During the 1980s and into the 1990s, children languished in foster care. President Clinton signed the AFSA into law in November 1997 – its goal was to shorten the amount of time a child was in foster care. It allows for a state or local agency to file for the termination of parental rights (TPR) after a child has spent 15 of the last 22 months in foster care and a determination is supposed to be made considering what is the best interest of the child (Hort 2000). TPR can be a difficult process. Substance abuse and incarceration are leading causes of TPR. (See Azzi-Lessing and Olsen 1996; Johnson and Waldfogel 2002). While the state must act as primary protector of children from abuse and neglect, the feelings of the child should also be considered. Children develop a bond with their caregiver in the first three years of their lives; children are generally satisfied with their foster families, they also experience great feelings of happiness when given time with their biological families. Therefore, the parental bond should be considered in TPR determinations (Parke and Clarke-Stewart 2003). Literature Review Introduction/Purpose Statement Azzi-Lessing, L. and L. J. Olsen (1996). "Substance abuse- affected families in the child welfare system: New challenges, new alliances." Social Work 41(1): Bellamy, J. L. (2008). "Behavioral problems following reunification of children in long-term foster care." Children and Youth Services Review 30(2): Berry, M. (1992). "An evaluation of family preservation services: Fitting agency services to family needs." Social Work 37(4): Cowan, A. B. (2004). "New strategies to promote the adoption of older children out of foster care." Children and Youth Services Review 26(11): Hort, K. A. (2000). "Is Twenty-Two Months beyond the Best Interest of the Child-ASFA's Guidelines for the Termination of Parental Rights." Fordham Urb. LJ 28: Johnson, E. I. and J. Waldfogel (2002). "Parental incarceration: Recent trends and implications for child welfare." Social Service Review 76(3): Link, M. K. (1996). "Permanency outcomes in kinship care: A study of children placed in kinship care in Erie County, New York." Child Welfare 75(5): 509. Parke, R. D. and K. A. Clarke-Stewart (2003). "The effects of parental incarceration on children." Prisoners once removed: The impact of incarceration and reentry on children, families, and communities: Schofield, G. and M. Beek (2005). "Providing a secure base: Parenting children in long-term foster family care." Attachment & human development 7(1): References Sample Selection For this study, data for a 12-month span will be analyzed for children up to the age of 18 being placed by Erie County’s Department of Social Services. Research Design This study will use a convergent parallel mixed methods approach. A quantitative design will consist of an analysis of the permanency outcomes of children in foster care in Erie County’s Department of Social Services. Specifically, the outcomes of reunification, adoption, and aging out will be determined and compared to national and state benchmarks. Qualitative data will be collected by asking DSS employees the challenges they face in meeting the AFSA criteria, which will be compared or related to the quantitative findings. One study showed that reunification had no direct effect on behavioral problems but being reunified translated to an increased likelihood of exposure to other risks, which in turn directly affect children’s risk for internalizing problems (Bellamy 2008). Age is another factor that comes into play: the younger the child, the better off they will be. Reunification is not always possible. In those cases, the choice of adoption is looked at. In man instances, the adoptive parent is kin to the child (kinship care). When children are not adopted and they remain in foster care, many of them age out of the system. The older a child gets, the harder that is. Some of these adolescents have other issues as well as a result of their tumultuous upbringing. Some teens with mental health or behavioral problems are less likely to achieve placement. Another issue that comes up with foster care is the amount of placements. The strategies employed by local agencies is a big component of how well the system can run. One study suggested that CPS workers are hampered by their own negative attitudes toward clients. Another strategy that can help local agencies is the use of in home care agencies. In one study, agencies saved over $4000/child per year (Berry 1992). Another strategic move by local agencies can be the use of media. Some areas promote the adoption of hard to place and special needs children on the news. This increases the pool of available families (Cowan 2004). Strategies for local agencies are numerous but they are not just limited to the administrative side of the foster care system. There are some programs that can help both children and parents – the use of mentors. Positive models included promoting trust, reflective function, self-esteem, autonomy & family membership can be helpful (Schofield and Beek 2005). Literature Review (continued)