Permanency Roundtables
-Texas Style!
October 2012
Jenny Hinson, Division Administrator for Permanency
Carol Self, Lead Permanency Program Specialist
Permanency Roundtable
• a (PRT) is an internal case consultation process
designed to facilitate a discussion about a child’s
permanency plan
• to develop a child specific permanency action plans
• is a structured meeting facilitated by a permanency
practitioner and attended by CPS subject matter
experts who play a specific role in the meeting
• does NOT replace any permanency planning meeting
Permanency Roundtable Goals
Develop child specific permanency action plans with multiple permanency
strategies
Establish lifelong connections to and/or supports for these children and youth
Stimulate thinking with agency staff and develop/model clinical practice as we
seek pathways to permanency for these and other children
Identify ways to involve the youth in their permanency goals and play an active
role in their outcomes
Identify and address barriers to permanency that might be eliminated through
professional development, policy change, resource development and the
engagement of system partners
Explore ways to improve collaboration with children, youth, families, external
partners in the permanency planning process.
Impact and Benefits
• Build on existing good practices
• Identify barriers and solutions (child specific and
systemic)
• Improved development around topic of
permanency by creating staffing forum including
tenured agency staff
• Model outline for case presentation that can be
used in other venues
• Improved concurrent planning; case planning
documentation; court report documentation
Process
• 6 phases
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Welcome and Overview
Case presentation
Clarify and Explore
Brainstorm
Create Permanency Action Plan
Debrief Case Consultation
• Follow up by CPS Permanency
Practitioner
•Each PRT generally takes 2 hours for one child and 3.5-4 hours for a sibling group
Participants
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Permanency Practitioner (permanency expert/facilitator)
Master Practitioner (policy/resource expert)
Caseworker (expert on case)
Supervisor (expert on case)
Scribe
Permanency Consultant (permanency expert)
Other internal subject matter experts (as needed)
PRT Criteria
• PMC with and without TPR
• Children ages 6 and up
• Not intended to be permanent placement
• Sibling groups
• Length of time in care
• Race/ethnicity
Preparation for PRT
Paperwork
• Case summary form
• Initial CPOS
Training
• Permanency Values
Training and Orientation
• Most recent court report • Skills training (before
PRT—one time event)
• Family Tree
Pre-PRT
Post-PRT
• Case Mining
• Update Child Plan of Service
• Diligent Search
• Begin Action Items
• Person Searches
• Discuss PRT
recommendations with
child/youth and others
• Consultation with:
child/youth, caregivers, ad
litem, CASA, family
members
• Monthly follow up on action
items
Outcomes
Georgia
• saw # of children in foster care decrease by
approximately 50%
• 52% of children in care over 18 months
exited to positive permanency
Kentucky
• 30% of children staffed over a one year
period achieved permanency
Texas PMC Data
29,951 children in DFPS Conservatorship
12,119 children in PMC
•
8871 PMC with TPR
•
3164 PMC w/out TPR
Current Status of Implementation
• Hired 11 Regional Permanency Practitioners
• Hired 1 State Office Permanency Practitioner
• Trained over 1000 staff and stakeholders in Permanency
Values
• Conducted 250 PRTs
• Currently Monitoring action plans
• Improved permanency status for 18%
• Currently implementing PRTs in Regions 8 and 10
• Implementing PRTs in Regions 4 and 5 in January, 2013
• Complete statewide Implementation by November 2013
All Children Deserve a
Lifelong Connection to
a Family