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Children in Foster Care for Long Periods of Time. 1. Purpose of Today’s Virtual Meeting. Discuss CFSR/PIP Discuss the 6 statewide data measures used to assess the state What measures did GA meet the federal targets and where do we need to improve?
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Purpose of Today’s Virtual Meeting • Discuss CFSR/PIP • Discuss the 6 statewide data measures used to assess the state • What measures did GA meet the federal targets and where do we need to improve? • Focus today on Permanency Composite #3, Children in Foster Care for Long Periods of Time 2
Children In Foster Care for Long Periods of Time The CFSR In 1994 the federal government instituted the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR). This review targets outcomes for children and families served by the child welfare system as well as the systemic factors that directly effect the State’s capacity to deliver services. The PIP The Program Improvement Plan created by each state to measure progress toward improvement. 3
Today’s Focus is Permanency #3 • Permanency Composite 3: Achieving permanency for children in foster care for long periods of time • How is this measure captured? • This measure is trying to help the state figure out how many kids are in foster care drift. Highest weight given to children how enter foster care at an early age, stay over 3 years and then age out. 5
Today’s Focus is Permanency #3 • Lets review the counties closest to the federal target on this measure and those furthest away 7
Chatham County Court Review14 Files Read • From 2004-2007 • 85 Children were either discharged to emancipation or transferred to another agency • 6 were discharged to runaway • 19 had TPRs on both parents • Over 30 were under the age of 10 when they entered foster care 10
NI-Compelling reason documentation, -2nd reasonable efforts evidence finding, -- -Relative searches, particularly fathers. N-more emphasis on permanency hearings, on ILP services Chatham County Court Review14 File Read Strengths: -Timely court hearings -Case plans -All court orders present 11
Troup County Court Review10 Files Read • From 2004-2007 • Very few with permanency goal of APPLA • Many had the permanency goal of reunification • None aged out with TPRs on both parents • However, do have long stays in foster care. As of Sept 30, 2008-62 children have been in foster care over 2 years, 9 have the goal of long term foster care and 1 just aged out with TPR on both parents having spent 8.6 years in foster care 12
NI-Compelling reason documentation, -2nd reasonable efforts evidence finding -Court orders need more specificity Troup County Court Review Strengths: -Timely court hearings -Case plans -Birth certificates! -Early representation -Great CASA reports -Mixed on the relative Search, but good on Fathers 13
Carroll County Court Review9 Files Read • From 2004-2007 • 50 Children were either discharged to emancipation or transferred to another agency • 5 were discharged to runaway • 8 had TPRs on both parents • Over 18 were under the age of 10 when they entered foster care 14
NI-Need Relative Search documentation -Compelling reason documentation, -2nd reasonable efforts evidence finding Carroll County Court Review Strengths: -Timely court hearings -RE checklists -early case plans poor, but improved in time 15
Lesson Learned Where do we go from here? What could the state do to improve on this measure and more? 16