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Pennsylvania Permanency Barriers Project
Anne Marie LancourAnne Marie Lancour
Heidi Redlich EpsteinHeidi Redlich Epstein
Mimi LaverMimi Laver
Kathleen McNaughtKathleen McNaught
Elizabeth ThorntonElizabeth Thornton
Cristina CooperCristina Cooper
Jeffrey AdolphJeffrey Adolph
Margaret BurtMargaret Burt
Honorable Stephen Rideout (ret.)Honorable Stephen Rideout (ret.)
Scott TrowbridgeScott Trowbridge
American Bar AssociationCenter on Children and the Law
History of the Project
1989 – Termination Barriers Project began with funding from the New 1989 – Termination Barriers Project began with funding from the New York State Department of Social Services and the U.S. Department of York State Department of Social Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Health and Human Services.
1991— NYS Office of Children and Family Services continued to fund the 1991— NYS Office of Children and Family Services continued to fund the Termination Barriers Project for the next 13 years. Termination Barriers Project for the next 13 years.
2004 – The project was successfully completed in 20 small, medium, 2004 – The project was successfully completed in 20 small, medium, and large counties throughout NYS. and large counties throughout NYS.
2004 – Pennsylvania contracts with ABA for largest Permanency Barriers 2004 – Pennsylvania contracts with ABA for largest Permanency Barriers Project to date. Project to date.
2004 – KY and WY contract with the ABA for the Permanency Barriers 2004 – KY and WY contract with the ABA for the Permanency Barriers ProjectProject
2005 – ABA wins Adoption Excellence Award for work on the NY 2005 – ABA wins Adoption Excellence Award for work on the NY Permanency Barriers ProjectPermanency Barriers Project
Goal: Reduce children’s stay in foster care
ApproachApproach Locally developed action plansLocally developed action plans Small steps that add upSmall steps that add up Permanency planning focusPermanency planning focus
Key ComponentsKey Components Permanency Planning SpecialistPermanency Planning Specialist Advisory BoardAdvisory Board ABA Project DirectorABA Project Director
Project Tasks
The project undertakes five major tasks:The project undertakes five major tasks:
1.1. Identifying and analyzing delays;Identifying and analyzing delays;
2.2. Interactively developing recommendations Interactively developing recommendations and implementing reforms;and implementing reforms;
3.3. Establishing written protocols, procedures, Establishing written protocols, procedures, and providing multidisciplinary training;and providing multidisciplinary training;
4.4. Monitoring reforms and changes; andMonitoring reforms and changes; and
5.5. Sharing project results throughout the Sharing project results throughout the state.state.
Reform Efforts
Early identification of children’s needs Early identification of children’s needs
Refining court procedures in Refining court procedures in permanency planning areaspermanency planning areas
Legal analysis and technical assistanceLegal analysis and technical assistance
Training the child welfare agency and Training the child welfare agency and legal stafflegal staff
Sharing information with other counties Sharing information with other counties and statesand states
Problems Causing Delays Missing or unidentified parentsMissing or unidentified parents Relatives entering case lateRelatives entering case late Increase in adolescent populationIncrease in adolescent population Lack of training on permanency planning issues Lack of training on permanency planning issues Lack of written procedures Lack of written procedures Late starts in offering servicesLate starts in offering services Inadequate concurrent planning Inadequate concurrent planning Difficulty in obtaining evaluations and/or expert Difficulty in obtaining evaluations and/or expert
testimonytestimony Delays in court proceduresDelays in court procedures
Current PA Project Counties
Beaver Beaver ButlerButler ClearfieldClearfield LehighLehigh
MontgomeryMontgomery WashingtonWashington WestmorelandWestmoreland
Past PA Project CountiesPast PA Project Counties
ArmstrongArmstrong BerksBerks BlairBlair CentreCentre Cumberland Cumberland HuntingdonHuntingdon Lancaster Lancaster LackawannaLackawanna Luzerne Luzerne
LycomingLycoming McKean McKean MifflinMifflin NorthamptonNorthampton NorthumberlandNorthumberland PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia VenangoVenango Warren Warren YorkYork
New York Results
New York ResultsNew York Results
Average Time Saved in 20 CountiesAverage Time Saved in 20 Counties15 months15 months
Total Money SavedTotal Money Saved$15,272,000$15,272,000
Pennsylvania ResultsPennsylvania ResultsCountyCounty Avg. Time SavedAvg. Time Saved Money SavedMoney Saved
LuzerneLuzerne 22 months22 months $660,000$660,000
CumberlandCumberland 7 months7 months $621,600$621,600
NorthumberlandNorthumberland 5 months5 months $240,000$240,000
BerksBerks 5 months5 months $420,000$420,000
MifflinMifflin 5 months5 months $222,000$222,000
LancasterLancaster 7 months7 months $386,400$386,400
HuntingdonHuntingdon 5 months5 months $234,000$234,000
NorthamptonNorthampton 15 months15 months $468,000$468,000
YorkYork 12 months12 months $446,400$446,400
VenangoVenango 10 months10 months $ 60,000$ 60,000
BlairBlair 4 months4 months $552,000$552,000
LycomingLycoming 9 months9 months $788,400$788,400
McKeanMcKean 10 months10 months $ 60,000$ 60,000
PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia 15 months15 months $2,070,000$2,070,000
WarrenWarren 2.4 months2.4 months $109,440$109,440
ArmstrongArmstrong 6 months6 months $243,600$243,600
CentreCentre 21 months21 months $400,000$400,000
TotalsTotals 9 months avg9 months avg $7,981,840$7,981,840
Project Achievements:Blair County
The Barriers to Permanency Project has The Barriers to Permanency Project has permitted Blair County to develop a permitted Blair County to develop a Family Treatment Drug Court.Family Treatment Drug Court.
The Project Director in Blair County has The Project Director in Blair County has facilitated the county’s participation in the facilitated the county’s participation in the upcoming National Drug Court Institute upcoming National Drug Court Institute Training to develop a family treatment court Training to develop a family treatment court model.model.
A family treatment drug court will provide A family treatment drug court will provide coordinate services, track progress, and coordinate services, track progress, and encourage accountability for substance encourage accountability for substance abusing families.abusing families.
Project Achievements:Northampton County
Northampton County successfully utilized Northampton County successfully utilized the Barriers to Permanency Project to the Barriers to Permanency Project to improve collaboration and improve collaboration and communication between the Agency communication between the Agency and the Court.and the Court.
The Agency and the Juvenile Court The Agency and the Juvenile Court developed an Interim Court developed an Interim Court Directive/Permanency Plan which is prepared Directive/Permanency Plan which is prepared at the conclusion of every permanency at the conclusion of every permanency hearing and distributed to families before hearing and distributed to families before they leave court.they leave court.
The Interim Directive outlines expectations The Interim Directive outlines expectations of both the family and the agency and of both the family and the agency and eliminates delays in service referrals.eliminates delays in service referrals.
Project Achievements:Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County successfully utilized the Project Lackawanna County successfully utilized the Project to introduce a new court procedure to increase to introduce a new court procedure to increase accountability and expedite permanency.accountability and expedite permanency.
The Agency and the Juvenile Court created an informal The Agency and the Juvenile Court created an informal Dependency Compliance Conference which Dependency Compliance Conference which documents and tracks compliance by both the agency documents and tracks compliance by both the agency and family.and family.
DCC hearings track both success and failure and DCC hearings track both success and failure and permits an immediate response when a family starts permits an immediate response when a family starts to struggle.to struggle.
More frequent and meaningful reviews of family More frequent and meaningful reviews of family progress promotes concurrent planning.progress promotes concurrent planning.
Project Achievements:Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County has used the Project Westmoreland County has used the Project to initiate a 90-day multidisciplinary to initiate a 90-day multidisciplinary case conference process.case conference process.
The 90-day case conference seeks to The 90-day case conference seeks to promote permanency, engage families, promote permanency, engage families, frontload services, and encourage cross-frontload services, and encourage cross-system collaboration.system collaboration.
The case conference is used in every new The case conference is used in every new case 90 days after removal from the home to case 90 days after removal from the home to evaluate progress, review service referrals, evaluate progress, review service referrals, and prepare for the first permanency and prepare for the first permanency hearing.hearing.
Questions/Contact Information
Anne Marie LancourAnne Marie Lancour
ABA Center on Children and the LawABA Center on Children and the Law
740 15th Street, NW740 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005Washington, DC 20005
(202)662-1756 (phone)(202)662-1756 (phone)
(202)662-1755 (fax)(202)662-1755 (fax)
[email protected]@americanbar.org
www.abanet.org/childwww.abanet.org/child
