Family Search & Engagement Creating Lifetime Connections

1. Family Search & Engagement Creating Lifetime Connections Linda Librizzi, LCSW Mardi Louisell, MA, MSW

2. Permanency Definition Permanency means having an enduring family relationship that • is safe and meant to last a lifetime • offers the legal rights and social status of full family membership • provides for physical, emotional, social, cognitive and spiritual well-being, assures lifelong connections to extended family, siblings, other significant adults, family history and traditions, race and ethnic heritage, culture, religion and language. • * A broad array of individualized permanency options exist: reunification and adoption are an important two among many that may be appropriate.

3. What does a Permanent/Lifelong Connection Look Like • An adult who consistently states and demonstrates that she/he has entered an unconditional, lifelong parent-like relationship with the youth and • The youth agrees that the adult will play this role in his/her life.

4. Family Search & Engagement focuses on foster youth who have no permanent connections and few or no identified committed family members in their lives and/or no permanent plan that includes a family. 

5. Outcomes • National Family Search & Engagement practice shows that child welfare and its partners – dependency court, Court Appointed Special Advocates, mental health, WRAP, FFAs, family and others important to the youth – can be located and engaged to achieve permanent connections for youth.

6. Goal   The goal is to identify members of the child’s extended biological (and non-related) family and other caring adults from the child’s past who • Will commit to an ongoing, meaningful presence in the child’s life • Can offer support and love throughout the child’s lifetime • Will help the youth to find permanence • and/or commit to being a permanent placement plan for the youth.

7. Interventions to Find and Engage Family • Interviews with the youth • Interviews with available family, foster family, and professionals • Extensive search of the file using the “cold case” technique • State-of-the-art Internet search technology.  • Youth Permanency Team formation • Exploration & development of Back-up Plans

8. Research Research proves that lifelong, loving connections are the single most significant predictor of future success for youth in the child welfare system.

9. Youth Driven – Why Include Youth? • It’s their life! • Creates hope for the future • Ensures youth voice & choice • Youth may have specific information • Youth may have their own ideas about the meaning and need for permanence • Youth may resist plans made about them, without them

10. System Barriers to Making Connections • Misunderstanding about the importance of permanency in the youth’s current and future life. • Professionals’ lack of awareness of or skill in using this intervention • Caregiver resistance due to concern about youth, bias against bio-family or other issues • Social worker fears about failing a youth • Exclusion of birth fathers as a resource • Parents who are unwilling to be involved • Severely impaired birth parents who have ongoing struggles with substance abuse or mental health issues • Agency inability to find parents or relatives. • Judges and hearing officers who may not understand the importance of connections with the original family.

11. Youth Obstacles to Permanency • Older youth dealing with developmental task of emancipation/individuation • Anger at bio-family at not being available in the past • Protecting themselves from future hurt/rejection/abandonment • Difficulty integrating multiple families • Unresolved grief/loss issues

12. 6 Steps of Family Search & Engagement • Setting the Stage • Discovery • Engagement • Exploration & Planning as a Team • Decision Making & Evaluation • Sustaining the Relationship(s)

13. Step 1- Setting the Stage Develop beginning youth permanency team, clarify each person’s definition of permanency and their commitment to the process, and discuss fears that may interfere with doing the work Goal: A clear understanding among all involved, including the youth.

14. Step 2 - Discovery Search for family members and others who have played an important role in the youth’s life and/or who could provide information Goal: List of people with an interest in connecting or reconnecting with the child & gathering of relevant information & history for the youth

15. Connectedness Exercise • HEART (red) - Who do you love? Who loves you? • MIND (green)- Who teaches you? What are you learning? Whom do you teach? • BODY (blue)- Who shares your blood? Biological connections • Culture (purple) – Who helped you understand your history, traditions, values, and beliefs? • SOUL (yellow) - To what or whom is your soul connected? Who inspires your passions and your spirit?

16. Step 3 – Engagement Begin to engage family members to provide history and connect with the child through phone calls, meetings or written communication Goal: • A team of family & non related members willing to be in child’s life and help achieve permanency • Information to be shared with child (family info, photos, letters)

17. Stage 4 – Exploration & Planning as a Team Meeting between professionals and family to share information gathered and begin to establish the permanency plan. Goal: A functioning team of youth, family, professionals, and other important persons to find permanency for the youth in a well- thought out manner.

18. Step 5 – Decision Making & Evaluation Devise and evaluate the youth’s permanent plan and backup plans. Explore legal issues. Goal: Plan and time frame for permanence for the child either through visitation leading to placement plan or lifetime connection

19. Step 6 – Sustaining the Relationship Establish that the child is in a permanent home with healthy, durable relationships and that supports and contingency plans are set up. Goal: Safety, permanence and continued lifetime connections.