Permanency for Children (Draft 6/4/04)
The Cabinet’s goal of maintaining children within their own homes is largely reliant upon the services provided through the Community Based Child Abuse Protection Grant, Family Preservation services, and Family Support services such as Medicaid, Impact/Impact Plus, Community Services Block Grant, Family Resource and Youth Services Centers, child support program, child care program, Kinship Care program, Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program, Family Alternative Diversion, as well as access to quality mental health and substance abuse services when needed. When a child is abuse or neglected and removal becomes a necessity, these services become even more vital to the Cabinet’s success of meeting the families needs to expedite reunification, compliance with federal outcomes, and reduce the additional financial costs entailed through the placement of a child into the foster care system.
Achieving timely permanency for children who must be place in foster care begins through the engagement and education of parents regarding ASFA timeframes and the concurrent planning process, the completion of a thorough family assessment, and the development of a comprehensive case plan. During this process and appropriate permanency goal (return to parent, permanent relative placement, adoption, or planned permanent living arrangement) is established. Whenever possible, family team meetings are held at the five day, three-month, six month, and twelve month conferences to ensure that progress toward the goal is being made and that appropriate services are being provided to meet the needs of the child and family. Family team meetings may also be held to assist the Cabinet and families at critical decision making points such as a potential foster care/adoption disruption, second reports of substantiated maltreatment of children age 3 and under, as well as at reunification, adoption finalization, relative placement, and case closure.
Although Kentucky has successfully been able to achieve the federal outcome to reunify children with their families within less than 12 months, the Cabinet continues its efforts to expedite timeframes for achieving termination of parental rights and finalized adoptions. The Cabinet continues to work with the Administrative Office of the Courts to identify and eliminate barriers in pursuit of these goals for children. In July 2004, the Cabinet, along with the assistance of the National Resource Center on Law and Judicial Issues, will be implementing a pilot project known as the Termination Barriers Project (TBP). Some goals of TBP will include enhancing relationships between Cabinet and court staff, obtaining trial dates within 60 days of the motion for trial, decrease the number of case continuances, expedite disposition of criminal charges against parents involved with the Cabinet, as well as expedite adjudication.
The Cabinet will expedite finalized adoptions by increasing targeted recruitment efforts to ensure that a divers pool of resource home parents are available to meet the needs of children in care. The Cabinet will also continue to its participation and efforts to expedite the placement of children through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children and the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance. The Cabinet will continue to fund the Foster/Adoptive Support and Training Center, the Resource Mentor Program, and the Adoption Subsidy Program as additional supports. Although the Cabinet does not have a recognized tribe, staff will continue to comply with the mandates of the Indian Child Welfare Act.