3.1.1
Permanent care
3.1.2 The children
3.1.3 The Children and Young Persons Act 1989
3.2.1 What happens prior to a child being referred for permanent care
3.2.2 Case planning
Permanent care worker’s involvement in case planning process
– Consultation
– Referral at case planning to permanent care
– Annual case planning meetings
3.2.3 Guardianship review
3.3.1 Ethnic background of parents
3.3.2 Placements prior to permanent care placement
3.3.3 The children’s issues
Health issues
3.3.4 The challenge to parents
3.4.1 Profile of birth parents
Ethnic background
Age
Economic issues
Substance abuse
Mental illness
Parents with a history of being in care
Whereabouts unknown
Parents living together
Parental disability
3.4.2 Siblings
3.4.3 Birth parents’ relationships to their children
3.4.4 Engaging the birth parent
3.4.5 Significance for the child
3.4.6 Extended family and siblings
Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 1
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2 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
3.5.1 Education program
3.5.2 Application
3.5.3 Motivation for applying to permanent care
3.5.4 Engagement
3.5.5 Preparation for assessment
3.5.6 Assessment
Experience with children
Motivation
Stress and dealing with loss
Background and identity issues
3.5.7 Case notes
3.6.1 Define child desired by applicants
3.6.2 Strengths of the family
3.6.3 Where applicants are unrealistic
3.6.4 Statement of strengths and areas of vulnerability
3.6.5 Recommendation
3.6.6 Your first report
3.7.1 Case planning decision
3.7.2 Issues to resolve when a child is referred to Permanent Care
The order the child is on
Court issues or continuing contests
Kinship care possibilities
Placement needs of the child/behaviour of the child
Contact
Birth parents understanding of permanent care
3.7.3 Time frames
3.7.4 Case management
3.8.1 Regional differences
3.8.2 Preparation of the child for placement
Life story work: what the child needs to know about the past
What the child needs to know about their new family
3.8.3 Preparation of the birth family for placement
3.8.4 Involvement of the foster family in the preparation for placement
Conclusion
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Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 3
3.9.1 Preparation for the Link—the child’s perspective
Protective reports
The child
Looking After Children (LAC)
Foster parents
Birth parents
Counsellors and other assessments
3.9.2 Attachment and bonding
3.9.3 Link Report
3.9.4 Selection of potential families for presentation at the Link Meeting
3.9.5 Preparation for a Link Meeting
3.9.6 Presenting a child at a Link Meeting
3.9.7 Presenting a family at a Link Meeting
3.9.8 Link Meeting
3.10.1 Who supervises the introduction?
3.10.2 Factors to consider in planning the introduction
Timing—child’s view
Timing—parent’s view
Distance between families and other obligations
The foster family’s ability to assist in the introduction
3.10.3 Is the child ready to move?
3.10.4 Settling in period
3.10.5 Introduction plan
3.10.6 Permanent care placements: checklist regarding transfer of case management between permanent care teams
3.10.7 Move to permanent care home
3.11.1 Objectives of placement supervision
3.11.2 Case management
Case management held by a Community Service Organisation (CSO)
Case management held by Department of Human Services teams
Management responsibilities
3.11.3 Reporting to the Department
Quarterly reports
Case planning reports
Guardianship review
Summary
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4 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
3.12.1 Purpose of placement support
3.12.2 Initial experience of placement
3.12.3 The worker’s role
3.12.4 Work with permanent care parents
Entitlement
Use of the arousal relaxation cycle to build a trusting relationship
3.12.5 Where to begin
3.12.6 Issues likely to arise in placement of a child
Common behaviours of children who have been hurt
Resolution of grief
Hyperviligence
Lying
Control issues
Cause and effect thinking and conscience
3.12.7 Issues for permanent care parents
Responding to the child at the child’s developmental level
Limit setting
Limit setting strategies that do not work
More effective limiting techniques
3.12.8 Never assume
3.12.9The birth parent
3.12.10 The ongoing work
3.13.1 Attending court
3.13.2 Steps in obtaining a Permanent Care Order
3.13.3 Granting of Permanent Care Order by the Children’s Court of Victoria
3.13.4 Case planning decision
3.13.5 Workers’ responsibilities after the case planing decision to obtain the Permanent Care Order
3.13.6 Separate legal representation for the child
3.13.7 Legal representation for the department and the permanent care team
3.13.8 Preparation of Part II of the Disposition Report
3.13.9Preparation for court
3.13.10 Frequently negotiated issues at court
Access
Adjournments
3.13.11 The order
3.13.12 Ongoing placement support
3.13.13 The Permanent Care Certificate
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Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 5
Learning goal
• To place permanent care in context and introduce new workers to the permanent care program.
Permanent Care Orders were introduced through the Children and Young Persons Act 1989 . The concept grew out of the reform movements of the 1970s and 1980s which opened adoption to contact between the birth parent, the child and the adoptive parents and challenged decision making processes and ‘welfare drift’ within the child welfare system. The concept of permanent care rather than adoption was developed to address issues of connection with the child’s family of origin, to maintain family relationships, and to provide permanent families for children who were unable to be cared for within their birth family and where the state has intervened on behalf of the child. As it has developed, permanent care serves children who have experienced significant abuse and neglect, and disrupted placements.
A Permanent Care Order is an order made by the Children’s Court of Victoria under the Children and Young Persons Act
1989 (CYPA) which transfers custody and guardianship of the child to the permanent care parents. The order can be made after the child has been case planned for permanent care by the Department of Human Services Protective Services and has been out of his or her birth parents’ care for two years or for a period that totals two years out of the last three years.
Generally, the child has been in the care of the permanent care parents for at least one year before the order is applied for.
The intention of the order is to provide the child with a permanent family in circumstances where the birth family is unable to care for the child.
Resources
Children and Young Persons Act 1989 , Sections 58 and 112–115.
Legal Options for Permanent Care , Victorian Government Department of Human Services, Melbourne, 2003.
Videos: You Can Do It , 1998, Anglicare Victoria, Tapeflex.
A Challenge Worth Taking , 2003, Centacare Catholic Family Services, Triple A Productions.
Section 3.2: Departmental decision making in permanent care, Section 3.3: The permanent care child, and Section 3.4:
Birth parents of permanent care children, in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
The permanent care service is provided by the Department of Human Services and community services organisations
(CSO) teams servicing regional offices of the Department of Human Services, and one state-wide team, Centacare CFS.
The services receive referrals for children in need of permanent care from the regional office of the Department of Human
Services to which they are attached. Placement, however, is not regionally based. The permanent care team looks for the best match between the needs of the child and the characteristics of available families in the state. Consequently, many placements are cross-regional necessitating close cooperation between permanent care teams and with Protective
Services regional offices. Interagency placements are coordinated through the Central Resource Exchange (CRE) managed through the head office of the Department of Human Services.
Although there are variations in practice between permanent care teams, the principles set out in the Adoption Standards and the Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual are adhered to within the permanent care program. The close working relationship between CSO and departmental permanent care teams is unique to this program and is one of the factors which ensures the program can provide the best placement for the child. It challenges workers to be flexible in dealing with differences between agencies and between regional protective services, and encourages review of practice and transfer of knowledge between agencies and between workers.
The concept of permanent care was developed in the 1980s through a major review of child welfare. It was developed to address the need for stability and consistency of care for those children who were subject to child protection notifications where an adoption order was not appropriate and they would otherwise be denied a family. The primary aim of permanent care is to provide security and stability for children where the birth family is unable to provide for the child’s care.
Permanent care respects the position of the birth parents as the parents of the child, while providing a long term family situation to meet the child’s needs.

6 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Although the Permanent Care Order transfers guardianship to the permanent care parents, it does not change the status of the birth parents as the legal parents of the child. It does not alter the birth certificate of the child nor does it change inheritance rights of the child. Its intent is to acknowledge the relationship between the birth parent and the child and affirm the ongoing permanent nature of the relationship between the birth family and the caring family through the care of the child.
The effect of the order is to transfer guardianship of the child to the permanent care family. This family will provide security and consistency of care throughout the child’s minority. The order remains in effect until the child is eighteen, although it is anticipated that the family relationship formed between the child and the caring parents will be a lifelong. Permanent Care
Orders include foster care conversions to permanent care, children placed in permanent care through permanent care teams and Permanent Care Orders granted for children placed in kinship care.
Activity
Read Section 7: Permanent care orders in Legal Options for Permanent Care , Department of Human Services, May 2003.
The Permanent Care Service provides placements for children referred to the regional permanent care team by Protective
Services. Children in the program are predominantly from backgrounds of neglect and abuse. Some are intellectually disabled or may have parents who are disabled. Many of the children have parents who are mentally ill or who abuse substances. A number of children have multiple background factors which have contributed to their need for care. The sense is that children now referred have more problematic backgrounds and behaviour than was apparent in the past.
As a consequence, carers are finding the children more challenging and teams are looking for parents who are able to assist the children recover from the damage incurred through their life experience.
The Children and Young Persons Act 1989 (CYPA) outlines the requirements for a Permanent Care Order. Division 7
Sections 112–115 covers the procedures for the order. Section 58 of the Act provides for community service agencies to be approved to provide a permanent care service.
Children planned for permanent care have been removed from their birth family’s care by Protective Services and case planned for permanent care due to substantial concerns which mitigate against the child being returned to the parents’ care. Decision making is guided by case planning principals contained in Section 119of the CYPA.
As you proceed through this learning guide, you will become familiar with provisions of the CYPA which govern court procedures, content of reports, reviews and case planning decisions.

Activity
Watch the videos You Can Do It and A Challenge Worth Taking
1 What are your impressions of permanent care placements?
2 What are the issues for the parents?
3 What are the problems for the children?
Discuss in group or with your supervisor.
Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 7

8 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Learning goals
• To introduce workers to the case planning process.
• To assist workers to understand involvement of the permanent care worker in the case planning process.
All children placed in permanent care are involved with the Department of Human Services. Workers who have had no experience within the Department can find the departmental procedures complex. This section will clarify departmental intervention and the case planning process for children who are under the care of the department.
Decisions for a child in the care of Protective Services are made through the case planning process and are guided by the case planning principles set out in Section 119of the CYPA. Each child being placed in a permanent care family will have been subject to a series of case planning decisions and will have gone through the following process.
• intake investigation
• protective investigation
• protective intervention
• protective order
• intervention or placement
• Permanent Care Order.
Resources
Department of Human Services Child Protection beginning practice learning guide , Section 4.5.
Children and Young Persons Act 1989 (CYPA)
Every permanent care child has experienced a series of case planning decisions prior to referral to permanent care.
Following the notification to Protective Services and the subsequent investigation, a decision will have been made to issue a protection application. If the protection application is proven, a case plan will be made for the child, which explores the possibility of reunification as the overall goal of the plan. Several attempts may be made to reunite the child with the birth family. In some cases reunification will have been temporarily successful; however, the child may be re-referred to
Protective Services and come back into care. It is common for a child referred for permanent care to have experienced a number of placements and attempts at reunification.
When reunification with the birth parents is not possible, the child may be placed in kinship care within the extended family. Family group conferencing is often used to assist the extended family to identify the issues for the placement of the child with other family members. The ability of the extended family to care for a child should have been explored prior to referral to Permanent Care; however, the worker should be alert to the possibility that this stage in planning has not been completed or that family circumstances have changed.
When reunification and kinship care have been explored, the child may be considered for permanent care placement.
Although some regions may consult the permanent care team at an early stage, often consultation occurs at the point of referral for permanent care.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 9
Activity
Arrange to attend a case planning meeting as soon as practical after starting work at your agency. Observe who attends and why, how decision are made, how the birth family is encouraged to participate, and how decisions are explained to the birth family.
Discuss with your supervisor.
The Child Protection beginning practice learning guide has a well developed section on case planning. Section 4.5 should be read in conjunction with this section of the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide . You should familiarise yourself with the principles of case planning set out in Section 119of the CYPA and discussed in Section 4.5 of the Child Protection beginning practice learning guide .
The overall goal of case planning is to provide stability, consistency and security of care for the child. Permanency planning begins when the child comes into care and should proceed in a steady and timely fashion. Case planning goals should relate to the developmental needs of the child and should include plans for circumstances where achievement of the goal is uncertain.
It is important to understand the difference between the terms ‘permanency planning’ and ‘permanent care’. Permanency planning relates to overall planning and should commence when the child first enters care. Permanent care is one outcome of permanency planning and is used when reunification of the child with birth parents or within the extended family is not possible.

10 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
The Department of Human Services is addressing the issue of timely case planning. The concept of SMART case planning is being introduced to new protective workers:
• S—Goals must be specific.
• M—Goals must be measurable.
• A—Goals must be achievable.
• R—Goals must relate to the assessment and to the overall goal of either reunification, kinship care, or permanent care.
• T—Goals should be time limited.
You will be required to write reports for case planning meetings. It is helpful to keep the principle of SMART case planning in mind.
The decisions made through case planning about a child’s future are complex. It is often difficult to maintain balance between the need to explore all family options for the child’s care and the need for stable, secure and safe care for the child. The department continues to work on ways to address the dilemmas presented.
Permanent care worker’s involvement in case planning process
Consultation
Protective Services generally consults with Permanent Care when consideration is being given to place the child in a permanent family. Significant areas to canvas at this time are:
• appropriateness of the plan
• whether kinship options have been explored
• the type of legal order in place for child
• access arrangements
• birth parents’ understanding of permanent care
• readiness of the child for placement.
Some teams are involved in early discussion with Protective Services and with the family, but other teams will not become aware of a referral until case planning for permanent care occurs.
Referral at case planning to permanent care
The worker may attend the case planning meeting, or the plan may be made at the meeting and the child referred to the agency afterwards. In either case, discussion regarding the appropriateness of the plan and details of the child’s situation will be needed. Adoption and permanent care teams generally have an intake process which guides discussion at the time of referral of the child to the team. Your supervisor will introduce you to the procedures used by your team.
The roles of protective worker, permanent care worker, foster care worker and other significant professionals need to be defined clearly at this point. The permanent care worker should ensure that the plan for permanent care is viable, that there are no conditions on the existing order which would make permanent care placement difficult and that the anticipated access is within the range likely to be appropriate for a child in permanent care. It is not unusual for adjustments to be made to access arrangements. The preparation of the child and the birth family for permanent care is important and issues such as altering access arrangements are easier to address at this point than after placement.
Annual case planning meetings
A Permanent Care Order cannot be obtained until the child has been out of the birth parents’ care for two years and in the care of the permanent care family for one year. Case planning meetings are normally held annually. Therefore, there will be at least one case planning meeting for a child in permanent care before the Permanent Care Order is applied for.
The permanent care worker prepares a report for the case planning meeting. The information in the report covers the permanent care family’s adjustment to and care of the child; the child’s behaviour and adjustment to placement; and the work with the birth parents. Your supervisor will provide you with the report format. The report includes recommendations

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 11 for work with the child, the birth family and the permanent care family during the coming year and may include the recommendation that a Permanent Care Order be applied for. The recommendations should illustrate the principles of case planning and should conform to the criteria of SMART case planning.
Although guardianship orders can be granted for a period of two years, most orders are for one year. The decision to apply for an Extension of Guardianship Order for a child is made at the Guardianship Review Meeting. The meeting is similar to a case planning meeting and may be held concurrently with the case planning meeting. If a permanent care order is being considered, it is important that all issues which might affect applying for that order be addressed at the meeting. A case plan will be approved and the permanent care report may be appended to the Department of Human Services Court
Report when only the guardianship extension is to be heard by the court.
Where the decision has been made to apply for an Extension of Guardianship Order and a Permanent Care Order simultaneously, guardianship is extended and the Permanent Care Order granted at the same hearing. This has the advantage of reducing the number of court appearances, and should the birth parent or parents decide to contest, both orders are heard together. Whenever a Permanent Care Order is applied for, the permanent care worker must provide a report for the court: the Disposition Report Part II. That report contains information on the permanent care family and their ability to care for the child, the child, and the birth parents’ wishes regarding placement and contact with the child. It may include other information relevant to the decision to grant a Permanent Care Order.
Where both applications are heard together, usually the report prepared for the Guardianship Review Meeting covers the areas necessary for the Disposition Report Part II which is required for application for a Permanent Care Order, but there may be some modifications to the report after the Guardianship Review Meeting. The report and its content are covered in
Section 3.13: Legalisation of permanent care in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide and in Section 16 of the Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual . The matters that must be considered in granting a permanent care order are set out in section 112 of the CYPA. The content of the disposition report relates to the areas set out in the Act.
Activity
Review criteria for granting a Permanent Care Order Section 112 CYPA. Note any questions in the space below.

12 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Learning goal
• To provide an overview of children in permanent care.
Prior to the Children and Young Persons Act 1989 , the only option for long term care of children that transferred guardianship to the carers was adoption. Permanent Care Orders first came into existence under the Children and Young
Persons Act 1989 . The first Permanent Care Orders were granted in 1992/3. Since this time more than 1200 Permanent
Care Orders have been granted and approximately 100 new orders are made each year. Permanent Care Orders are made through permanent care teams, foster care conversions to permanent care, and kinship care. The permanent care teams are responsible for non-relative placements and foster care conversions where the placement is under two years’ duration.
Permanent care teams are not generally involved with kinship care unless their region has located the responsibility for kinship placements within the permanent care team.
Resources
A Challenge Worth Taking (video), 2003, Centacare Catholic Family Services, Triple A Productions.
The Impact of Trauma on Children and How Adoptive and Foster Families Can Help Them, Real to Real – Dan Hughes; A video Conversation (video), 2000, Family Futures Consortium (available through Easter Region Adoption and Permanent
Care if not available in your agency).
The recent Permanent Care Audit 2001 (unpublished) has provided valuable information regarding the children in permanent care.
Over three quarters of the children in permanent care are of Australian background (78 per cent), with British and Irish backgrounds being the second largest group represented.
Figure 3.1: Nationality/ethnicity of parents of children in permanent care
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100
50
0
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131
312
Mother
Father
Total
Australian
Torr
5 8
13
0 1 1
15 10
25
1 2 3 1 1 2
9 7
16
0 1 1 1 5 6
11 11
22
9
56
65
Aboriginal es
Strait
Islander
British or
Irish
Gr eek
Indian Italian
Turkish
Vietnamese
Other
Not
Known

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 13
According to the Permanent Care Audit of children in permanent care inn March 2001, many permanent care children have experienced multiple moves since coming into care: 52 per cent had moved one to three times, 4 per cent had moved more than 10 times and 2 per cent had experienced more than 20 moves. Just prior to being placed in permanent care 7 per cent of the children were in a residential care unit while 87 per cent were in foster care. These figures include foster care conversions, which were 40 per cent of the sample. Three per cent of the children were in kinship care placements. A small number had experienced a breakdown in a permanent care placement prior to the current placement.
The reasons for the breakdowns identified were the child’s challenging behaviour, aggression, sexualised behaviour, mental health or disability or change in the carer’s circumstances, which made continuing the placement impossible.
There are limitations to generalisations, but typically the children in permanent care bring a number of issues to the placement ranging from specific disability or mental health problems to reaction to significant abuse in their past.
The moves experienced by the children increase the potential for emotional problems. The children may have learning disorders, perceptual problems, ADHD, attachment disorder, post traumatic stress, anxiety, and conduct disorder.
Activity
View the video A Challenge Worth Taking . Answer the following questions for Susan, Stephen and Sarah.
1 What brought the children into care?
2 What were the behaviours that challenged the family?

14 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
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Health issues
The audit indicates the children placed in permanent care are healthy and their medical needs have been catered for in placement. While some children had identified conditions such as disability, 91 per cent were said to have good day-to-day health. Of the 21 per cent of children identified as having a disability, 17 per cent were diagnosed with an intellectual disability.
A total of 18.8 per cent of the children were reported to have a mental illness. ADHD was the most frequent diagnosis.
Three per cent were diagnosed with conduct disorder, two per cent with autism, three per cent with depression and two per cent with anxiety.
Figure 3.2: Children suffering from a diagnosed mental health disorder
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8
0 0
8
3
4
2
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4
7
3
10
4
22
9
Number
Percent
5
2
4
2
40
17
ADHD
Anor exia/Bulimia
Autism ger's
Syndr ome
Depr ession
Asper
Disorder
Anxiety
Other
Total
Conduct/Oppositional Defiance
Note: Multiple response—Children may have more than one diagnosis.
Nineteen per cent of the children presented issues of self-harm including suicide attempts and other risk-taking behaviour.
Many of the children exhibit major behavioural issues frequently related to their mental health issues. Although 71 per cent of the children presented with no problems of aggressive behaviour, three per cent were said to have severe problems with aggression and 11 per cent had moderate problems.
Permanent care parents will be challenged by the needs of the children in their care. Jade, age 6
1/
2
, is a child like many in the Permanent Care Program. You will follow her progress through placement as you proceed with the learning guide.
Begin by focusing on Jade and her needs in permanent care. Refer to Section 4.1: Child development in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide , and to Vera Fahlberg’s A Child’s Journey through Placement , Chapter 2 if you are unfamiliar with child development, and to Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide , Section 4.3: Attachment and trauma problems in children.

Activity
What would you expect of a six and a half year old girl in the following areas?
Appearance
Friends
Relationship with adults
Hygiene
Sexual knowledge
School performance
Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 15

16 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Jade is not like other children. Many of her behaviours are quite different from the six- to seven-year-old children in her class. Jade is like the child described below.
Figure 3.3: Description of Jade
Appearance
• Tall
• Looks young
• Poor muscle tone
• Preferred dress seems incongruous with age
• Developmental age
School performance
• Short attention span
• Attention seeking
• Not reading
• Poor comprehension of what's expected
• Repeated prep
• Development age
Friends
• No special friends
• Plays beside others
• Take things from others
• Frequently agressive if not getting her way
• Developmental age
1⁄
2 Sexual knowledge
• Direct sexual experience
• Sexually provocative behaviour
• Fear of men
• Developmental age
Adults
• Clingy
• Demanding
• Follows adults around
• Seeks attention
• Volatile
• Controlling
• Developmental age
Hygiene
• Needs assistance to bath
• Can dress self but refuses to frequently
• Not cooperate with general Ł care like hair combing & teeth
• Many toileting accidents
• Developmental age
Activity
Assign a developmental age for Jade in each petal of the diagram. Refer to Section 4.1: Child development as you assign
Jade’s developmental age.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 17
Figure 3.4: Developmentally, Jade seems something like this:
1⁄
2
Jade is coming to placement with social, emotional and cognitive skills of varying age levels. She has precocious knowledge in some areas and is developmentally delayed in other areas. She is like many children in permanent care who have experienced abuse and neglect.

18 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Activity
What would it be like to live with Jade?
What characteristics would you want those caring for her to have?
As you proceed with each permanent care section of the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide , you will become aware of the many challenges children like Jade bring to their permanent care families. Jade has experienced neglect and abuse while living in her birth family. She has had several foster care placements while in care and there have been failed attempts at reunification with her birth mother. She has failed to achieve many developmental milestones, although she has knowledge beyond her years in some areas. Although unlikely to be diagnosed with a specific disorder at the time of placement, Jade shows signs of reaction to trauma, poor ability to form relationships, gaps in learning and behavioural disturbance. She is likely to be anxious, hyperviligent, and controlling of others. She may be focused on survival and may attempt to recreate familiar tensions within her new family.
Jade has many problems which will challenge permanent care families and will require support from permanent care workers, school and other services. Change may be slow and there is likely to be a long, difficult and ultimately rewarding road ahead for the child and for the permanent care family. The permanent care audit confirms this impression of children placed in the program.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 19
Learning goals
• To introduce issues for a worker engaging a birth parent of a permanent care child.
• To provide a profile of birth parents of children in permanent care.
A birth parent with a child in permanent care has a history with Protective Services prior to meeting the permanent care worker. When the child first enters care there is generally a plan for that child to be returned home. However, some birth parents are unable to make the changes needed to effect reunification. Generally, the options within the family have been tried or considered by Protective Services. If there is no appropriate family placement, a permanent care family is considered. The birth parents may have participated in programs to develop parenting skills or may have attempted drug treatment. For others their mental health or intellectual disability limits their capacity to succeed as parents.
Workers in Permanent Care understand that the background situations of children being placed are increasingly complex.
Consequently, work with birth parents has become increasingly complex. Birth parents bring to Permanent Care their often long history with Protective Services, and their history impacts on expectations and their ability to be positively engaged with the permanent care worker and the permanent care family after placement.
Resources
Section 1.3: Life issues of adoption and permanent care, Section 4.5: Contact, and Section 4.3: Attachment-trauma problems in children, in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide .
O’Neill, C., 1999, Chapter 5: The Birthparents and Grandparents in ‘Support and Permanent Placements for Children’,
Thesis Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Melbourne University School of Social Work (available in the supplement to the
Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide ).
Silverstein, D. & Kaplan, S, 1982, Lifelong Issues in Adoption (available in the supplement to the Adoption and Permanent
Care learning guide ).
The permanent care audit was completed in 2003 and involved 233 children placed in permanent care on 31 March 2001.
The data from the audit confirms that birth parents of children in permanent care experience multiple and often severe problems which are likely to impact on their relationship with their children, on contact (access) and on their ability to work with the agency.
The audit was the first systematic compilation of information about the program. Although there are limitations in the data collected, it is a significant contribution to our understanding of the client group that Permanent Care serves. The permanent care audit confirms that most of the birth families of children in care experience severe and multiple problems which may impact on their relationship with their children and on their capacity to understand the child’s needs and the need for placement. The birth parents’ abilities to cooperate with permanent care workers may be compromised. They may need guidance, instruction and structure to encourage positive relationships with their children.
The following information is complied from the permanent care audit.

20 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Ethnic background
The ethnic background of the children in permanent care in Victoria is predominately Australia, with British and Irish the second largest group. Seventy-eight per cent of the birth mothers and 56 per cent of the birth fathers were known to be Australian.
A further six per cent of birth mothers and four per cent of birth fathers were known to be of English or Irish background.
Figure 3.5: Nationality/ethnicity of birth parents of children in permanent care
350
300
250
312
Mother
Father
Total
200
181
150
131
100
50
5 8
13
0 1 1
15 10
25
1 2 3 1 1 2
9 7
16
0 1 1 1
5 6
11 11
22
9
56
65
0
Australian
Aboriginal es
Strait
Islander
British or
Torr
Irish
Gr eek
Indian Italian
Turkish
Vietnamese
Other
Not
Known
Age
The largest number of birth parents of children in permanent care was in the 30–39age group, with only one per cent aged younger than 20. Approximately equal numbers of birth parents were aged 20–29and 40–49.
Figure 3.6: Age of birth parents of children in permanent care
60
50
40
52
Mother
Father
Total
36
44
30
26
23
20
17 17
21
19
15
11
10
4
6
5
3
1
0
1
0 under 20 20–29 30–39 40–49 50–59 Not Known

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 21
Economic issues
Seventy-nine per cent of the birth mothers and 56 per cent of the birth fathers of children in permanent care were known to be receiving a pension or some form of benefits. It would be reasonable to assume that a substantial number of parents for whom source of income was unknown (12 per cent of birth mothers and 37 per cent of birth fathers) were also receiving benefits. Only six per cent of birth mothers and 18 per cent of birth fathers were known to be employed full-or part-time.
The majority of birth families of children in permanent care are experiencing financial stress.
Figure 3.7: Main source of income for birth parents of children in permanent care
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
3
15
3 3
79
44
3
0
Mother
Father
12
37
Full time employment
Part time employment
Pension/benefit Partner's income Not known
Substance abuse
Workers have long known that many birth parents are involved in substance abuse or have mental health problems.
The impression in the field is that a substantial number of birth parents experience both problems. Analysis of the audit data did not identify parents known to be experiencing two or more problems. Whether parents abused substances was unknown for large number of children in permanent care as it was not noted as a factor in the parents’ inability to provide safe care for the children.
Forty-nine per cent of birth mothers and 39per cent of birth fathers were known to have abused substances. Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance with heroin following second.
Figure 3.8: Substance misuse by birth parents of children in permanent care
70
60
Mother
Father
49 50
40 39
29 28 30
20
10
0
22
Total
Substance Misuse
Alcohol
51
62
13 13
11
10
5
10
0 0 0 0
3 3
1 1
0
Her oin
Marijuana
Amphetimines
Chr ome
Cocaine
specified Not
Known
Drug not
Other
Pr
Note: Multiple response—parents may misuse more than one substance.

22 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Mental illness
Forty-three per cent of birth parents were known to have a diagnosed mental illness, with schizophrenia being the most common illness identified. It can be assumed that the effects of the illness seriously inhibited effective parenting and would seriously affect the possible relationship between the birth parent and child, and the birth parent and the permanent care family.
Figure 3.9: Mental illness of birth parents of children in permanent care
50
40
30
20
10
0
100
90
80
70
60
37
13
1 0 1 0
10
2 2
0
9
1 1 0
11
7
Mother
Father
3
1 1 0
6
5
64
Anor exia
Syndr ome
Depr ession ger's
Total Mental Ilness
Asper enia oxy
Psychosis
Schiz
Anxiety Disorder
Personality Disorder ophr Disorder
Bi-polar
Other/Unspecified
Munchausen's By Pr
None Known
87
The above graph shows the range of identified mental illnesses experienced by birth parents. It is likely that a number of birth parents who are experiencing mental health problems are undiagnosed. Personality disorder, for example, may be under represented in formal diagnosis but over represented in the permanent care population.
Parents with a history of being in care
Thirty-one per cent of birth mothers and eight per cent of birth fathers experienced out-of-home care as children. The birth parents have often experienced poor parenting and have not developed skills and resources to parent their children adequately. A further consequence of the parents’ experiences is that they bring to the program a range of issues relating to their experiences in care.
Figure 3.10: Birth parents placed in care when children
70
60
Mother
Father
62
50
40
30
20
10
0
31
8
36
30
33
Yes No Not known

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 23
Whereabouts unknown
The whereabouts of 78 per cent of birth mothers and 57 per cent of birth fathers of children in permanent care was known. Many of the birth parents have difficulty maintaining stable accommodation. Where the birth parent is known, it is a strong indicator of the importance the birth parent places on their relationship with their child.
Parents living together
Eighteen per cent of birth parents of children in permanent care were living together at the time of the audit. It is unknown whether the parents were living together when the child came into care.
Parental disability
The data collected refers to diagnosed disability only. It is likely that the number of birth parents with disability is greater but the disability may not be recognised or may not be severe enough to require registration with Disability Services.
Twenty-two per cent of birth mothers and 12 per cent of birth fathers were known to be registered with Disability Services.
The effect of their disability may severely limit their capacity to parent and has a major impact on their relationship with their children. There is the strong possibility they will be less able to understand issues for their children and that they will bring issues to contact which are difficult to address.
Figure 3.11: Birth parents with a disability
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2 2
1 1
Physical Sensory
22
12
7
30
Mother
Father
24
15
69
55
Intellectual Not Known Total with a parent with a disability
None
Note: Multiple response—parents may have more than one disability.
Most of the children in permanent care have other siblings either living with a parent or in care. Eighty-nine per cent of birth mothers and 62 per cent of birth fathers were known to have other children. Having siblings either living with birth parents or with birth family members, or siblings living in care poses special challenges in maintaining contact between siblings. Sibling contact is known to be beneficial to all the children and effort needs to be made to provide opportunities for contact.
Most birth parents have a strong attachment to their children, despite their inability to provide adequate care. The parents’ inadequacies, disabilities or other problems generally do not diminish their underlying bond with their children.
Birth parents of children in permanent care face similar long term issues to parents who relinquish children for adoption, and have additional issues relating to the protective concerns. Feelings of loss and despair are prevalent. There are few outlets available to the birth parent to address these issues and the guilt and shame of having failed as parents can compound the problems.

24 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Many birth parents seek assistance and support to resolve the intense feelings resulting from their children being removed from their care, but they often have few skills and resources to address their problems. Although seeking and needing support, they often have difficulty using the supports available. The permanent care worker who is potentially their main support may be perceived as instrumental in removing the child from their care and in limiting access. Their feelings can inhibit their ability to engage with a worker to resolve issues.
Activity
Read O’Neill, C., 1999, ‘The Birthparents and Grandparents’ in Support and Permanent Care Placements for Children , Thesis
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Melbourne University School of Social Work (available in supplement to the Adoption and
Permanent Care learning guide ).
A number of characteristics of birth parents can be extrapolated from the profile of the birth parents. They are likely to be difficult to engage. Many of the parents are as needy as their children and to some extent all lack the capacity to understand their child’s needs. The many problems they experience contribute to their tendency to be unpredictable and to their difficulty in caring for themselves. They are likely to be experiencing financial problems, low skill level for daily living, problems maintaining accommodation, and lack of ability to plan ahead. More significantly, they may experience difficulty dealing with authority. Many parents will project problems onto others and may resist support and alienate those who might assist. Workers will make demands on them to accept the placement and to give the child permission to become a part of a new family. The birth parent will need guidance and structure to accept support and to succeed in building and maintaining a positive relationship with their children.
Many birth parents will be involved with a number of community service agencies. Mental health services, drug and alcohol services, housing services, financial management services and Centrelink are just a few of the services they may use regularly. It is possible that you will have to coordinate your work with one or more of these services to facilitate the birth parents’ acceptance of the placement and to encourage positive contact with the child.
The birth parents you are working with have had their children removed often because of their abuse and neglect and their inability to protect their child from harm. Part of your task is to prepare the permanent care parents for the birth parents’ potential for destructive acts. This will help to avoid problems rather than to deal with the aftermath of a problem.
Fortunately, many birth parents have some awareness of their limitations and will accept structure and guidance from workers or from the permanent care family. Although they may be unable to meet the needs of their child, many parents are able to give the child permission to belong to the new family and can thrive with the support of that family.
It is not your task to treat parents or assist them to change the behaviours which brought their children into care. Your task is to make the placement work and that includes assisting birth parents to maintain a positive relationship with their children and to accept that their children will be raised in another family. There are no right or wrong ways to do this.
Goals for the birth parent need to be set, but those goals should not set the birth parent up for failure. Birth parents need to be engaged even when their behaviour requires limits to be firmly set. Their relationships with their children cannot be ignored even when they do not have the capacity to express that relationship positively.
Your task is to engage the birth parent where possible and to give them guidance with responsibility. There is a caveat, however, on engagement of birth parents. The child’s ability to deal with the parents and the parents’ problems must be acknowledged and where the birth parent is too destructive or too out of control, contact may need to be limited. Where the child is not ready to handle personal feelings regarding the abuse experienced, access may need to be limited until the child has developed sufficient resources and maturity to address the issues with the parent. The limitations must be explained to the birth parent.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 25
The child has a great deal to understand about his or her past. It is essential that children make the journey to accepting their birth parents, with all their problems, if they are to be able to build new relationships and move into adulthood.
Engagement of the birth parent is of great significance to the child.
The child’s understanding of himself or herself in relation to the birth family can be facilitated by contact with the birth family. You and the new parents want the child to understand the past and to know that she or he has a choice to be different. Your work with the birth parent relates to the child’s need more specifically than to the birth parent’s needs.
Birth parents are not the only resource for connection with the birth family. Even where the extended family is unable to provide care of the child, they can provide much that a child needs to know about people they are related to and their background, thus helping a child to understand the birth parents and to develop a strong sense of identity.
Grandparents, aunts and uncles may offer much to the child. In many situations they are the responsible parties who can relate to the child when the birth parent is unavailable. Their relationship is important to the child and should be encouraged wherever possible. They can provide access into the birth family frequently without the trauma of dealing with the abusing parent.
At least 90 per cent of the children in permanent care have siblings. Siblings are a rich source of positive family relationship for the child in care. Maintaining relationships with the siblings may be difficult if they live with the birth parents or family, or if they are in care in another setting, but the rewards for the child are great if contact can be maintained. Sibling relationships provide significant emotional support for permanent care children. Their siblings are facing similar issues and sibling relationships signify belonging and, in most situations, provide acceptance, understanding and caring not available elsewhere to the child. They provide connection to the past and support in the present and may be the only ‘blood’ relationship known to the child.
Mandy is the second girl in a family of four children. Her brother, who was born 11 months after her birth, was the favoured in the family. He was the only boy and in both his parents’ eyes could do no wrong. Mandy believed that as a girl, her only expectation and her only value was to serve men. She described her childhood as restrictive and that she and her sisters were expected to do all the household chores. Her mother was depressed and her father often yelled at her to do more. She described heated rows in the home with her father storming out, breaking things or putting holes in the walls. She does not remember him hitting her mother, but her mother often had bruises. Her older sister would gather the children into her bedroom and close the door whenever rows started. Later, Mandy learned to recognise the signs; her father would come home drunk and start picking at her mother.
Mandy’s sister placated her father whereas Mandy challenged him. As Mandy reached her teens, her father disciplined by denigrating Mandy or by physically punishing her. She preferred the physical punishment as it was over quicker. She left home at 14 and stayed in the squats until picked up and placed in care. Her parents did not notify police that she was missing. She was placed in a residential centre and learned quickly how to survive. By 16 she was using drugs regularly and had started to binge drink when out with friends if drugs were not available.
She lived with a number of partners; most were six to ten years older than she. Some were aggressive and assaulted her.
She said she was able to leave the nice ones but could not get away from the ones that hit her. At 18 she had hooked up with a partner who dealt in heroin and Mandy became a regular drug user. She and her partner drifted from place to place and she took up prostitution as a means to supporting her habit. The drugs were a relief and made life bearable.
When Mandy was 21 she became pregnant with Jade. She insisted that her partner was the father but he denied it. He did not want ‘the brat’ and demanded that Mandy keep her quiet when he was around. When Jade made a noise he was as likely to strike out at Jade as he was at Mandy. Mandy would leave the flat often and, whenever possible, leave the baby with someone else. This arrangement suited her. It is not known what kind of care Jade received when with others.
There is strong evidence of a high level of neglect and a demand for silence when in Mandy’s care. At the same time she was fond of Jade but not responsive.

26 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Jade came into care first after Mandy’s partner bruised her badly for crying, and Mandy got worried and went to the hospital. Mandy visited Jade infrequently while Jade was in care but seemed to enjoy the baby as long as she did not cry. As soon as Jade cried she was put down.
Jade was sent home on two occasions as Mandy alleged that she was no longer living with her former partner and that she was not using drugs. She wanted another chance with her baby. Both times it became apparent within three months that her partner, if not living at the flat, was there regularly and that he continued to become aggressive with
Jade and Mandy whenever the baby cried. Mandy reverted to her drug use as soon as tension started and was not available to Jade for long periods of time. Jade was left with whoever would take her while Mandy worked the streets. At times she was left in the care of her partner where it can be assumed she received little care and, more than likely, considerable aggression.
Jade returned to care when the worker discovered her in the care of a neighbour while Mandy was out. The neighbour informed the worker that Jade was frequently in the care of others.
The decision was made that Jade would remain in care and eventually she was case planned for permanent care.
Mandy contested on the grounds that she liked the child and would do better in the future. Mandy visited irregularly and even when the worker provided transportation to access could not be counted on to attend. She blamed the worker for not making access work. When with Jade, Mandy played as long as Jade was quiet. Jade at times seemed to enjoy the contact but at times pulled away. If Jade heard any loud noises she became distressed and more withdrawn.
Mandy was unable to initiate activities with Jade and Jade was too withdrawn most of the time to initiate anything. Jade did not seem to care whether Mandy saw her or not which made the irregularity of visiting easier for Mandy.
Mandy continues to demand access but is erratic about attending and frequently does not provide the worker with a means to contact her. She is inclined to request access when using drugs and becomes angry when the worker insists on speaking with her before making arrangements to see Jade.
Mandy’s mother and sister have had minimal contact with Jade but seem to enjoy her and are able get her involved in some activities. They think it is better if Jade does not see Mandy and they do not want to visit Jade with Mandy. Mandy is reluctant to have them visit, the worker believes, because she thinks Jade will like them better than herself.
Activity
Using reflective practice guidelines, define Mandy’s relationship with Jade. What strengths can you identify to engage
Mandy to support Jade’s placement? Discuss with your supervisor.
Experience
Facts
Reflection
Meaning
Conceptualisation
Hypothesis
Active experimentation
To do

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 27
Learning goals
• To provide context for permanent care assessment.
• To provide a guided approach to assessment using reflective practice.
• To build upon knowledge gained in Section 2.2: Adoption assessment in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide .
• To explore four issues of assessment for placing children in permanent care: motivation, experience with children, stress and dealing with loss, and background and identity issues.
The task of a family is to raise children who are sufficiently connected to be able to form relationships which meet their needs and the needs of others, and who are sufficiently independent to be able to function socially and in job situations and other life activities. The assessment confirms that the applicants are able to guide a child to become a responsible adult. There are important differences between raising a non-biological child and raising a biological child. The assessment process helps to facilitate placement of children into families that can best meet their needs.
Activity
Think about what you know about assessment and the needs of carers, birth parents and the child. What areas would you identify as important to assess when considering an applicant for the permanent care of a child?
Why have you identified these areas?
Assessment in adoption and permanent care share much in common. The areas of assessment covered in Section 2.2:
Adoption assessment , Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide (Family of origin, Relationship of the couple, and
Infertility) are relevant to permanent care and form the basis of assessment in both programs. Because of the special needs of children in the permanent care program, there are additional assessment requirements which focus on special aspects of caring for a child within the program. This section will focus on these issues. You should, however, complete
Section 2.2: Adoption assessment before completing this section of the learning guide, as the areas covered in
Section 2.2 are core assessment areas in permanent care.

28 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Resources
Standards in Adoption , Section 4.1 and 4.2.
The Children and Young Persons Act 1989
Children and Young Persons (Custody and Guardianship) Regulations 1991
The Adoption Act 1984
The Adoption Regulations 1998
Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual , Section 8, pp. 46–59.
Your agency’s procedures manual
Section 2.2: Adoption Assessment, in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Activity
Read Section 8 of the Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual.
Each applicant will have attended a permanent care information session and an education workshop conducted by your agency. One of your initial tasks is to arrange to take part in the information session and education workshop as an observer. The workshop provides an orientation to the program and gives you the opportunity to meet prospective applicants. If you have not yet attended the workshop, speak with your supervisor. You should review the materials presented at the workshop and read the handouts given to applicants.
Applicants will have completed a detailed application prior to assessment. Any serious matters which might exclude them from the program, including medical conditions and criminality, will have been addressed at this stage. (See pp. 48–9of the Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual or your agency procedures manual for details regarding the application process.) The application and education workshops focus the applicants on permanent care and on the areas to be discussed in assessment. The application and workshops are the beginning of a process. Most applicants will continue to explore issues in relation to the areas covered in the education program, the life story and in other application materials, and discussions with applicants during assessment are likely to reflect deepening understanding of the applicant’s motivation to care for a child and the issues of permanent care. Applicants are generally highly motivated to proceed and frequently believe a placement will occur within a relatively short period of time.
Applicants to the Permanent Care Program may be couples or single persons. If a couple applies, the same relationship criterion is used as for adoption: the couple must have been in a committed relationship for a minimum of two years.
Placement is based on the applicants’ ability to meet the needs of the child. In permanent care it is not anticipated that a couple will apply for ‘any child.’ Their application and the assessment should begin to refine the characteristics of the child they believe they can and want to care for.
Remember: the recommended time for assessment in permanent care is 5 1/2 months from completed application to decision of the Adoption Assessment Committee (AAC).
Permanent care applicants apply for many reasons: some believe they can make a difference to a child; some enjoy children and wish to expand their family; some come with a strong belief system regarding the care of children; and some come with a motivation which requires further exploration, such as seeking a companion for themselves or for a child already in the family. Increasingly, applicants to the Permanent Care Program apply after they have had infertility treatment and are unable to become parents in any other way. Their motivation may indicate issues that need to be addressed in assessment.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 29
There is often a discrepancy between the characteristics of the children available for placement and the expectations of prospective parents regarding the children coming into their family. Two major factors can be identified which contribute to this: the number of children available for infant adoption has declined over the last ten years, with an average of 20 infants being placed each year in Victoria; at the same time there is a trend for couples to remain on infertility treatment longer.
Consequently, there are a number of infertile couples wanting to start a family who perceive that the likelihood of their adopting an infant is limited. These couples may apply to permanent care with the expectation that they will be placed with a younger child. This can pose a dilemma for workers in assessing such applicants and requires provision of information regarding the characteristics of children requiring placement.
Permanent carers who wish to be placed with a child under five years of age and with a low level of problem behaviour need to understand that the placement will take time. Children referred for permanent care tend to come from families who have experienced a range of complex problems, and the children themselves are likely to present a number of challenges associated with developmental or environmental deficiencies. In addition, delays in planning for permanent care have led to fewer young children with minor emotional issues requiring placement. There is now an expectation that applicants will be able and prepared to take on the care of children who have significant issues, and provide an environment to meet the children’s needs. Initially, many applicants may not be aware of or prepared for the degree of problems experienced in many placements.
Applicants to permanent care are frequently people who have experienced major losses themselves. These experiences and their strong commitment to start a family can impact on the assessment process, creating fears about the assessment which can inhibit their engagement with the worker. Applicants to permanent care, particularly those applying because of their infertility, have much in common with applicants to the infant adoption program.
The start of assessment is, in part, engaging the couple in a long term working relationship. Children and birth families where permanent care is planned have significant problems. The children have experienced high levels of abuse or neglect while in the care of their birth family and have frequently experienced multiple placements. Even children placed at a young age show signs of anxious attachment and emotional disturbance. Consequently, carers are likely to experience many challenges and will need to turn to their placing agency for assistance. It is the worker’s task to encourage the family to seek assistance after placement and before problems grow too great to handle. Engagement starts with the information session and education program and continues through the assessment.
Your task is to address the issues and concerns in such a way that the applicants feel included, respected and able to speak their mind. It is important to develop a working relationship where difficult problems can be addressed and worker and carers can tackle issues collaboratively.
The tasks for preparation of assessment are set out in Section 2.2: Adoption assessment of this learning guide.
Reflective practice will be your guide to assessment in permanent care as in adoption. If you have not completed Section
2.2: Adoption assessment , do so now. As with infant adoption it is suggested that after reading the entire application, you prepare the ‘preparation for assessment’ form and discuss your initial impressions with your supervisor. Then select and complete an area covered in this section of the learning guide: motivation, experience with children, stress and loss, or background and identity issues.
Reflective practice is one approach to assessment. It is a guide to organising thinking around issues which can incorporate many theoretical frameworks relevant to assessment. Reflective practice explores:
• experience (the facts)
• reflection (meaning)
• conceptualisation (hypothesis)
• active experimentation (doing).
Read the following case material in preparation for your first interview.

30 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Brenda and Mark are 42 and 44 years old respectively and have been married for 16 years. Following marriage Brenda pursued her career in nursing, eventually specialising in paediatric nursing. She rose to charge nurse and has been active in research projects as well as in hospital staff relations. She has enjoyed her career.
Mark is a secondary school teacher and is currently acting assistant principal at a large secondary college. He has taught children in grades seven to twelve and has been active in the VCE program. He has been year coordinator for year 11 for some time and has taken on a number of student welfare tasks regularly.
Both Mark’s and Brenda’s parents are living close by and they visit them regularly. Brenda has two sisters who have children. Mark has a brother with three children. Between them they have seven nieces and nephews between the ages of five and 17.
They see their nieces and nephews regularly but are not actively involved in their lives. This has evolved as both work with children and have tended to want their home life to be separate from the stresses children present. Brenda found that coping with sick children at work was stressful and she needed a break. Mark has regularly taken students on camp and participated in music programs at his school. He has found that rewarding but it has taken up time he might otherwise have been spending at home.
The couple have had two major stressful experiences in their marriage. They believe they have weathered their infertility but stated that it took a toll on their relationship. It appears that they relied almost exclusively on each other and found at times they were disappointed and angry with each other. The second period of stress occurred prior to infertility treatment. Mark had a sporting accident where he broke his leg and arm playing soccer. He required much assistance and was unable to walk for a considerable time as he could not use crutches. They did not want to have to turn to their parents for assistance and tried to manage on their own. This became impossible when Brenda used all her leave. Mark was depressed and they found they were not coping. Mark’s mother intervened, telling both that they were foolish, and organised home help and a roster of care with all the parents during the hours Brenda was working. Both said they learned from the experience but prefer to handle things on their own.
Mark has had considerable experience with young people whose families were experiencing problems. As year coordinator and welfare officer he attempted to involve parents of several children in assisting at school and in encouraging their children to attend classes. He has introduced strategies to the school to handle young people who are acting out in class and not achieving academically. He has been impressed by the amount of consistency required between staff to encourage and assist some youths, who are having problems, to behave better at school. He has also found that it is easy to be drawn into arguments with young people and has found it a challenge to stay out of struggles with them but pointless to get into them.
Brenda’s experience has been with children who were ill and sometimes seriously injured. She has found it difficult to understand the reaction of many parents to their child’s illness or injury and notices big differences in attentiveness between parents when staying with the children on the ward. She stated in her life story that she had experience working with parents who had injured their children, and has experienced frustration in the work when these parents did not follow through on plans for care.
Mark and Brenda planned to start their family after they had been married for five years. They waited eighteen months before seeking medical assistance with their infertility. In total they have received infertility treatment for seven years; they ended treatment approximately one year ago after considerable discussion regarding their options. They have explored adoption and permanent care and want to become parents. In view of their ages they have decided to apply for permanent care rather than adoption. They both believe they have considerable understanding of the problems the birth parent may have experienced. Both have met substance-abusing parents through their work and both have worked with families where there was emotional and physical abuse and neglect. They believe their combined experience in the hospital and at school has prepared them for a child with problems.
In considering the age of the child, they have indicated a preference for a school-aged child as both wish to continue working. They expect that the child may be experiencing more problems at that age. They are confident they can handle most situations as long as they are able to connect with the child.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 31
Their expectation is that the child will fit into their lifestyle and that they will have to put a lot into the child in the first year but that things should go well after that. They plan to send the child to a private school as they believe there will be more advantages for the child. They want to encourage the child to take part in many activities and hope that she or he will achieve academically.
The couple’s current lifestyle includes going out to dinner frequently, enjoying plays and concerts, and time spent with friends who do not have children. They have enjoyed several overseas trips and want to introduce the child to travel and the excitement of new experiences.
They have talked with their parents and siblings about permanent care. Their parents, although a little apprehensive about possible problems, have indicated they will support them in any way they can. Their parents have been active in the lives of other grandchildren. Brenda’s sister thinks she is a bit ‘mad’ as Brenda has no idea what to expect when at home every day with a child. Mark’s brother is enthusiastic but has indicated that it is not realistic that he and his wife offer much hands-on support due to distance and the age of their children.
You will have looked at three major components of an assessment while completing Section 2.2: Adoption assessment .
Because of the issues the children bring to the permanent care family, the couple’s ability to handle stress, their motivations for placement, their support networks, their experience of caring for children and their understanding of and ability to accept background issues need to be carefully explored.
The parents must be able to accept, live with, and work to alter inappropriate behaviour which the child brings to the family. They need to be able to withstand the child’s emotional distress and its effect on themselves. They need to be able to bond with a child who may not be able to attach to them quickly, and they need to maintain that bond through the often-extensive period while the child is learning that attachment is good. They need to be creative in addressing inappropriate behaviour as their task is to assist the child learn more constructive ways to handle himself or herself. They need to have strategies to ensure their needs are met and strategies to modify their behaviour when the child does not respond. Permanent care parents need to be able to commit themselves to the child through whatever problems that child presents. Their motivation is highly significant as is their ability to commit to the child. A child in permanent care is unlikely to be able to meet the parents’ expectation of companionship, to make the parent feel good, or to respond in ways the parent would like.
It is suggested that you work through each of the following exercises as you prepare that area of assessment for an applicant, rather than completing the four areas at one time. You and your supervisor may decide that you should use an assigned case to complete the exercises rather than refer to the case material provided.
Experience with children
Experience with children will assist new parents to understand a child’s needs and set appropriate expectations for the child. It will also assist the parents in understanding a child’s behaviour. Experience with children is invaluable when becoming permanent care parents, but not every applicant will have extensive experience with children.

32 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Activity
Using reflective practice, explore Brenda’s and Mark’s experience with children. Discuss your thinking about Brenda and Mark with your supervisor.
Experience
Facts
Reflection
Meaning
Conceptualisation
Hypothesis
Active experimentation
To do
In the above activity you might include:
Experience:
• Brenda works in paediatric nursing.
• Mark teaches adolescents.
• Mark has set up strategies to assist children in classroom.
• No care of children 24 hours a day
• Avoided caring for preschoolers
Reflection:
• Mark enjoys adolescents and is aware of their problems in class.
• Avoiding preschoolers may be connected with their infertility.
• Although competent at nursing, Brenda may be uncomfortable with preschool children.
Conceptualisation:
• Mark has a particular interest in adolescents and has developed strengths to meet the needs of adolescents having problems.
• Brenda’s discomfort with preschool children likely relates to the stresses at work and the stresses of infertility.
Active experimentation:
• Formulate questions for interview.
• Explore Mark’s activity with adolescents and his strategies for assisting those presenting problems in class.
• Explore Brenda’s understanding of her reluctance to be around preschoolers. Explore the meaning for placement.
• Explore the relationship of their interest with the age of child they are seeking.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 33
In the interview Mark talks very positively of the boys he has assisted. He has strategies to involve them in activities that require cooperation and dependence on others to survive. He has developed a wilderness program where the boys spend time learning to survive as a team. He spoke of the difficulties of implementing strategies in the school for handling incidents with consistency in the classroom and of the success with the adolescents when he has achieved his aim. He indicated that he enjoys children when they are active and have verbal skills. He thinks he would enjoy young children but has not had the opportunity to be around them much.
Brenda talked of the stresses of her work dealing with sick children who often had serious injuries or life threatening illnesses. These children are often preschool age and she has found their distress difficult. She said she thought she was a bit overly sensitive as a nurse. When she leaves the hospital she does not want reminders of the work and sees that as the major reason she has not involved herself with young children. Upon reflection she thought she needed to explore whether there was truth in the hypothesis that her reluctance to be with preschoolers related to her infertility, but she thought that if it did there would be more reluctance to be around children. She asked for a brief halt in the assessment to explore this issue, stating that she would return to the counsellor they saw during infertility treatment.
Activity
After reading the above case material, how would you revise your assessment?
Experience
Facts
Reflection
Meaning
Conceptualisation
Hypothesis
Active experimentation
To do

34 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Brenda has asked for a deferral to explore issues. What suggestions would you make regarding the deferral and return to assessment? Discuss with your supervisor.
Motivation
Motivation to care for a child is highly important to the success of placement. Seeking a child for the wrong reasons can be destructive to both the child and the carers and can lead to placement breakdown. The carers need to be able to commit to the child, to accept all the behaviour the child brings to placement, and to take on the task of change.
Exploration of the applicants’ expectations of a child and reason for applying are intertwined. During the assessment, the worker and applicants should be able to identify the couple’s need to be parents, their expectations of themselves as parents and their expectation of a child. Applicants generally begin assessment with a keen desire to be parents and less ability to articulate what they want emotionally from a child. They refine their wishes and understanding as the assessment progresses.
The assessing worker’s task is to pose questions which assist the applicants explore their motivation. Throughout the process the worker is making judgments regarding the match between the applicants’ motivations to care for a child and the needs of the children in the program. Where the couple’s motivation is mismatched with the realities of the program, the applicants’ thinking must be challenged.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 35
Activity
Using the case material provided, prepare your understanding of the couple’s motivation for care of a child.
Experience
Facts
Reflection
Meaning
Conceptualisation
Hypothesis
Active experimentation
To do
Define any concern you may have regarding the couple’s motivation to care for a child in permanent care.
You might include:
Experience—facts:
• Infertility is primary motivator.
• They have some realistic experience with and understanding of children’s problems.
• They have discussed and are considering an older child.
• They are confident they can handle problems if they can connect to the child.
Reflection—meaning:
• The couple show ability to assess their situation and consider alternatives.
• They are not completely naïve to degree of problem.
• They have confidence in themselves and with their ability to think through situations.
Conceptualisation—hypotheses:
• Although infertility is the primary motivator, the couple is not focused on an infant and their motivation is likely to be more realistic due to their work experience.
• The couple has confidence in their ability, although they may be overly independent and miss essential cues.
Active experimentation—to do:
• Explore the couple’s expectations of connection with a child.
• Explore their decision to care for an older child—what they discussed and how they came to the decision.

36 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Activity
What questions do you have regarding Mark and Brenda’s motivation to care for a child? Are they prepared to commit themselves to raising a school-aged child with problems? Discuss with your supervisor.
Although further exploration is needed, the couple has thought carefully about themselves and about caring for an older child. They have a reasonable understanding of issues and confidence in themselves. These are positive indicators for placement.
Stress and dealing with loss
Refer to Section 1.3: Life issues of adoption and permanent care . Parents involved in permanent care will have to deal with the ‘extras’ of all children raised in non-biological families plus the needs of a child resulting from environmental factors prior to placement—neglect, abuse and disrupted care. The new family may be challenged and face major stressors.
The parents’ abilities to handle stress and deal with their personal losses are essential to assess as it is indicative of success in placement of children with high needs.
Activity
Complete a reflective practice guide on the case study you have just read for the couple’s ability to deal with stress.
Experience
Facts
Reflection
Meaning
Conceptualisation
Hypothesis
Active experimentation
To do

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 37
Although you could draw more from the material above, you might include:
Facts:
• Both hold jobs that entail considerable stress.
• Mark takes on extra duties which involve stress.
• They tend to rely on themselves.
• Brenda is sensitive to sick children and does not want reminders of problems.
Meaning:
• Both have a proven track record of handling work-related stress.
• Mark will involve himself in situations which are potentially stressful and finds considerable enjoyment in those activities.
• There is a tendency to try to handle situations on their own but they can take advice when pressed by others.
Hypotheses:
• Although Mark and Brenda have the skills and ability to handle many stressful situations, they may be vulnerable to trying to manage too independently and not seek assistance when needed.
To do:
• Explore the validity of the hypotheses and, if even partially correct, discuss the dangers of being too independent when raising a child with high needs.
Activity
Define any concerns you have regarding the couple’s stress management and ability to handle loss. Do you believe they are too reliant on themselves and too reluctant to seek assistance?

38 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Background and identity issues
If you have not already completed Section 4.4: Identity and Section 4.5: Contact , of the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide , please refer to them at this point.
The task of identity formation is particularly challenging for a child raised in care. The child forms his or her identity on the basis of three often quite different families: that of the birth mother, the birth father and the carers. This is a complex task which can be especially difficult where one or both of the parents have abused the child. In order for the child to achieve the task successfully, the carers must be able to both accept the birth parent and birth family and identify that much of what they have done to the child is wrong. They need to be able to assist the child to understand that she or he has a choice in how to behave and that there are strengths to be brought from the child’s heritage, despite the incapacity of the child’s parents to care for the child. Workers need to be able to accept the child’s attachment to the birth family and value the positive experience within the birth family.
Permanent care parents may have difficulty assisting children in their care to respect their birth parents. Permanent care parents will have to deal with children’s anger at the birth parents for what they have done and with their frustration that the birth parents are unable to relate to their children in constructive ways. They need to balance this against the positives in a respectful way for the child. They must understand that the child needs to know the birth parent in order to be able to form a realistic picture of them, even though the permanent care parent may be frustrated with some of the incapacities of the birth parent. Where there has been serious injury to the child or emotional damage, the permanent care parent may experience strong and mixed feelings about the birth parent.
There is much that the permanent care parent must do to assist the child understand and deal with issues that may prove very difficult for the carers. If the permanent care parent does not feel entitled to care for the child, the difficulty of the task is increased. If the permanent care parent does not feel they are parents to the child, it is difficult to accept the birth parent and therefore assist the child deal with the issues of forming identity from the three families.
In the following activity you are to identify information from the case material regarding Brenda’s and Mark’s understanding of background issues and their possible effect on the child.
Activity
Define what you wish to explore with Brenda and Mark about their understanding and acceptance of a child’s background using the reflective practice guidelines.
How do Mark and Brenda understand background and identity issues for the child?
Experience
Facts
Reflection
Meaning
Conceptualisation
Hypothesis
Active experimentation
To do
Discuss with your supervisor.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 39
Your analysis might include:
Experience:
• Through school activities, Mark tried to involve parents of teens who were causing problems at school.
• Mark experienced difficulty involving the parents.
• In the hospital, Brenda has worked with parents who have injured their children.
• Brenda has expressed frustration with the parents’ inadequacies.
Reflection:
• Mark has taken initiative to involve parents in change. He has had varying degrees of success.
• Brenda aligns with the children and becomes frustrated with the parents.
Conceptualisation:
• Mark’s awareness of the problems children face at home has increased over his years of teaching and he has been proactive in seeking to assist the children and involve the parents. He appears to accept the children but to seek change.
• Brenda’s empathy is directed more toward the child than the parents, which increases her frustration with the parent and may lower her capacity to relate to the parent.
Active experimentation:
• Formulate questions to explore each hypothesis.
• You might ask Mark to talk about what he has learned from parents whose children are in trouble at school.
• You might ask Brenda to define how the parents make her feel when they do not follow through with treatment.
Remember, you need to keep your case notes up to date as you proceed through an assessment. Your case notes should reflect your judgment or assessment regarding the applicant’s ability to achieve the tasks of raising a child with special needs and reflect the reasoning behind your judgment.
If you follow the reflective practice guidelines, you will have the information needed for the assessment and report. You should complete an assessment statement which summarises your analysis and conclusions at the end of each section.
Such preparation will make report writing an easier task.

40 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Learning goal
• To alert the worker to issues specific to completing the permanent care assessment report.
In Permanent Care it is not presumed that applicants will be applying to care for any child or that they will have the strengths and interest to care for any child. The assessment and assessment report are tailored to the applicants’ abilities and willingness to care for a child or children with specific needs. The specific needs and characteristics of the child they are prepared to care for are identified as part of the assessment and should be confirmed by the applicants.
In the course of the assessment the family has defined the age, often the gender, and the type and degree of issues that a child may have and that they are willing to introduce into their family. Applicants may be more conservative in assessing their strengths and willingness to deal with children’s issues than workers assess as their capability. Conversely, the worker may believe that the applicants do not have the particular strengths needed to care for children who the applicants identify as suitable for their care.
The assessment report in permanent care should be a fair representation of the applicants; their strengths and vulnerabilities. It should not contain surprises for the couple and any areas of concern or disagreement should have been identified and addressed in the assessment process.
The process of writing the report is similar to report writing for adoptive applicants. The report will be used in the following ways:
• for the Applicant Assessment Committee (AAC) decision
• by the Link Committee for placement of the child
• for an internal appeal of a decision
• for appeals to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
The report should be written clearly and in language appropriate to multiple audiences. Its content should reflect the needs of the AAC to make the decision to accept the applicants, and the needs of the Link Committee to place a child with the family.
Resources
Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual , Section 9, pp. 49–59.
Agency manuals
Permanent care report proforma
Section 2.3: Adoption Assessment Report, in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Section 2.3: Adoption assessment report should be completed before you proceed with Section 3.6: Permanent care assessment report . Section 2.3 introduces report writing and suggests strategies to approach the task of writing an assessment report.
Obtain
A copy of a ‘good’ assessment report from your supervisor
Assessment report proforma of your agency or from the Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual , Section 8.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 41
Activity
Read Section 8, pp. 49–59 of the Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care Manual.
The primary uses of the report are to provide information for the Applicant Assessment Committee (AAC) to enable them to make a decision regarding the approval of applicants for permanent care and to assist the Link Committee in matching a child to a family. The reports are read keeping in mind the range of characteristics of a child and particular issues carers might encounter in caring for a child. The writer needs to define the characteristics of the ‘child desired’ early in the report to help the reader identify the strengths of the applicants for the likely placement. This does not necessarily imply that the worker and the applicants are in agreement regarding children who might be placed within the family.
Each section of the report should illustrate what the applicants bring to the program. Although applicants may not understand the degree of problems they may confront in the permanent care program or the impact of these issues on themselves and other members of their family, most applicants have strengths which are positive for a child. Most applicants have approached assessment thoughtfully and demonstrated a growing understanding of the complexity of care of children with high needs. They are aware of the complexities of placement and have demonstrated a personal ability to review their actions, make changes and understand their motivation to care for a child in permanent care.
The worker’s task is to identify the strengths of the applicants in the report in a way that relates to the care of the child the applicants wish to be considered for. When writing each section, the worker should identify the strengths of the applicants and the relationship of those strengths to care of a child.
Many first applicants are unrealistic about their ability to care for a child. This is not of great concern if the couple demonstrates common sense, insight, and the ability to make changes. Issues should be addressed in a balanced way in the report, accompanied with the workers assessment of the applicant’s ability to care for a child with identified needs.
There are some applicants who are motivated to care for a child for reasons not consistent with success in permanent care. In such situations the report should reflect the views of the applicants and those of the worker as clearly as possible, with the differences identified. This is generally a difficult process and will require guidance from your supervisor.
At the close of the report there should be a succinct statement of the strengths and areas of vulnerability in point form.
This provides an easy reference for the AAC and the Link Committee and serves as a short summary of what the applicants are able to provide in placement. It will assist with the decisions to be made, and it should reflect the applicants’ ability accurately and fairly. Your supervisor will assist in the writing of this section.
The AAC may make the decision to:
• accept the application for permanent care of a child
• defer the application
• not approve the application for permanent care of a child.
Every report should include a recommendation regarding the suitability of the applicants to care for a child with special needs. In permanent care the recommendation includes the characteristics of the children the applicants may consider for placement. The recommendation reflects the worker’s assessment of the applicants’ abilities to care for children with special needs but is limited to situations acceptable to the applicants.

42 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
It is not necessary for the applicants and the worker to agree on the recommendations for characteristics of the child to be considered for placement. There will be times when the worker believes the family could care for a broader range of problem than the applicant wishes to be considered for. However, it is not advised that they be considered for children where they have limited consideration to specific issues. At times, applicants believe that they can care for a broader range of children than the worker assesses as their capability. The applicants may present their view to the AAC for decision.
It is more difficult to write the recommendation when the worker assesses the applicants as not appropriate to care for the children they have identified as acceptable. Where this happens, the reasons for the worker’s recommendation should be set out in the body of the report. Ultimately, it is the task of the AAC to determine the approval of the applicants based on all available information. Applicants should be informed that they are able to put their views to the AAC and the AAC will consider those views as well as the worker’s report.
You are ready to write your report. You should turn to Section 2.3: Adoption assessment report , of this learning guide for suggestions regarding writing the report.
Activity
Choose one section prepared in Section 3.5: Permanent care assessment —Experience with children, Motivation, Stress and dealing with loss, or Background and identity issues—and outline what you would include in a report.
Discuss with your supervisor.
When the report is completed and approved by your supervisor, you are ready to proceed to the AAC. You are responsible for arranging the meeting and distributing the reports to the applicants and to members of the committee. Your agency’s manual and your supervisor will advise you of procedures for arranging the AAC meeting. You should prepare to answer questions of the committee members when considering the family for acceptance into the Permanent Care Program.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 43
Learning goals
• To identify when a child is ready for permanent care.
• To identify areas to address at the time of referral of a child to permanent care.
When a child is referred to a permanent care team, that team takes responsibility for the placement of the child with a permanent family. Each team will have policies and procedures regarding discussion with Protective Services and accepting a referral of a child. You will need to familiarise yourself with the policies and procedures of your agency.
Resources
Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual , Section 2, pp. 5–14.
Agency manuals
‘Looking After Children: Overview of records’ (available in the supplement to the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide )
Section 4.3: Attachment and trauma problems in children, and Section 4.5: Contact, in the Adoption and Permanent
Care learning guide .
Intake forms of your agency.
The placement of a child in permanent care is a case planning decision. The permanent care team may be involved at a number of stages in the case planning for permanent care of a child. A worker may be asked for advice at an early stage while the plan is being considered or may be asked to attend the case planning meeting where permanent care is confirmed for the child. Whatever the regional practice, there is opportunity to discuss whether the plan is appropriate for the child and whether the child is ready for placement. Prior to a referral being accepted by the permanent care team, issues relevant to a placement need to be addressed.
Activity
Talk with your supervisor regarding procedures for permanent care referral within your agency and within your Department of Human Services region.
Each team will have an intake procedure which addresses relevant issues. Some of the common issues are discussed below.
The order the child is on
A child case planned for permanent care is generally on a Guardianship Order. The Children and Young Persons Act 1989
(CYPA) allows for the court to make a Permanent Care Order when a child is on a Custody Order but there are many issues regarding planning direct moves from a Custody Order to a Permanent Care Order. A Custody Order does not remove guardianship from the birth parent whereas a Guardianship Order gives guardianship to the Secretary for the Department of Human Services. A Permanent Care Order transfers guardianship to the new parents.
The making of a Permanent Care Order has major and far-reaching implications for the birth parent; the birth parent loses the capacity to make decisions regarding the child when guardianship is transferred. Some teams will not place a child in permanent care until the department holds guardianship. Other teams will move directly from Custody Order to Permanent
Care Order in some circumstances.

44 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Activity
Discuss with your supervisor your team’s approach to requiring a Guardianship Order for children referred to Permanent
Care. What are the pros and cons of each position?
Court issues or continuing contests
Some birth parents are unwilling to accept that they will not be able to care for their children. They express this through the appeal process and through contests at court. Where contests are ongoing, extensive placement delays can occur and there is the possibility of children being returned to their birth parents’ care by the court. This creates anxiety and tension.
Children are generally not placed in permanent care until their legal situation is resolved.
The delay in placing the child in permanent care may be detrimental to the child’s adjustment to placement and to the child’s overall development. The child may remain in temporary care pending resolution of court proceedings. If placed in permanent care, the child and the permanent care parents may reserve committing to each other due to the uncertainty.
The effect on the child’s and the parent’s abilities and willingness to bond and attach can be detrimental to the child and to the placement. There is often an unsatisfactory balance of needs for children placed in this position. Should you encounter it, you will need to discuss the issues with your supervisor.
Kinship care possibilities
When reunification is not possible, every consideration should be given to placing the child with a relative. Prior to referral to Permanent Care, family group conferencing may have occurred and viable options for the care of the child within the extended family should have been explored. The worker needs to check what has been explored and the outcomes of these explorations. If options have been missed or the exploration of their viability incomplete, there will need to be negotiation as to how those options will be pursued.
There is a tendency to focus on the birth mother and her extended family when considering care for a child, and the strengths of the birth father and his extended family may have been overlooked. Workers should be alert to possible options within the birth father’s family that have not been thoroughly explored.
Placement needs of the child/behaviour of the child
The child’s behaviour and placement needs are the major concern at the time of intake. The worker should obtain as detailed a summary of placement needs, behaviour, and issues for the child as possible. The information is essential in selecting a family for the child and in estimating the time frame for placement.
Looking After Children (LAC) should be of great assistance and all children in care will come under the program. The LAC reports should provide information on the child’s behaviour in care and the child’s emotional, social, and placement needs.
There will be review reports relevant to the child’s age, which include detailed information of the child’s likes, dislikes, medical care, school achievement, friends, issues in care and much more. Although most agencies have developed an intake form which alerts workers to the areas they should cover when a child is being referred, it is recommended that you also review the LAC reports, as this information is potentially more detailed.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 45
Activity
Review the content of LAC reports. An overview of LAC records is available in the supplement to the Adoption and
Permanent Care learning guide .
Contact
There is contact between the child and members of the birth family in virtually every placement and contact must be addressed as part of the Permanent Care Order. The expectations of contact should be clearly understood at the outset of the placement. It is not unusual for the birth parent and the birth family’s expectations regarding contact to be different to expectations of the permanent care program and permanent care family. The differences arise largely from previous case planning goals. Where a child is case planned for reunification it is anticipated that there will be frequent contact and that the contact will increase as reunification approaches. When a child is case planned for permanent care, it is anticipated that there will be less frequent contact and that higher levels of contact appropriate for reunification may need to be reduced. These changes need to be planned as part of the process of achieving a successful transition to the permanent care placement.
Contact should not be solely determined by the request of the birth parent but should be consistent with the needs of the child. Contact arrangements must also be consistent with the ability of a permanent care family to participate.
Where high levels of contact are to be reduced, discussion of adjustments should occur and a plan developed to address reducing contact.
Birth parents understanding of permanent care
The birth parents’ understanding of permanent care may be limited. Although the protective worker may have discussed permanent care with the birth parent, the birth parent may not have participated in the planning process or may not have understood the implications of the plan. When providing consultation and taking a referral there should be discussion of the birth parent’s understanding of the case plan. Where it is identified that the birth parent is unlikely to understand the plan, further discussion with that parent should be planned. It is probably an unrealistic expectation that the birth parent will take in what is explained when stress levels are high. Therefore, the permanent care worker will need to readdress the meaning of permanent care and the implications for the birth parent during preparation for placement and when applying for the Permanent Care Order.
Finding a permanent family for a child is not simple. Ideally the worker or team leader can provide an anticipated timeframe for placement at time of intake but availability of parents is often limited and delays in arranging a placement can occur.
Placement of older children with high levels of emotional and behavioural problems may take longer to arrange than placements for preschool children, even if the level of need of the preschool child is great. Placement of children with disability generally takes longer than placement of children without disability. Fewer parents will accept children whose parents have mental illness just as fewer parents will accept children where there is high potential for appeals and legal risk. There needs to be frank discussion of the problems related to finding a family for the child. Timing problems may include delays in allocating a child to a worker and other practical matters within the Permanent Care team.
At the time of referral the protective team may hold case management of a child or it may have been contracted to a
Community Service Organisation (CSO). Most teams assume case management of the child when the referral is accepted, but this is not universal. To expedite placements, some teams arrange for case management to remain with another organisation to avoid using scarce resources needed to find and train carers for pre-placement support. You will need to seek guidance from your agency regarding case management. Case management responsibilities should be clarified at the time of referral to avoid later confusion and possible duplication of work.

46 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Learning goals
• To show that preparation for placement begins before a child is case planned for permanent care.
• To provide a guide to areas to cover in preparing a child for placement.
Preparation for placement begins when the decision is made that reunification with the birth parents will not occur.
Preparation should begin before referral for permanent care and should continue until the child is placed in their permanent family. Preparation for placement includes:
• consideration of whether permanent care is an appropriate plan for the child
• obtaining information about the child’s needs
• making the decision that permanent care is an appropriate case plan
• assisting the child to understand the decision and why it has been made
• assisting the child to put the decision in the context of his or her past life experience
• exploring the wishes of the child regarding placement
• preparing the birth family for permanent care
• preparing the foster family for their role in the transition
• linking the child with a family
• preparing the child for a specific family
• preparing the new family for the child.
Children experience significant loss with every move. The work done to prepare the child to move and to reduce the impact of the loss reduces the likelihood of the child developing severe problems which may require extensive therapeutic intervention. Preparation for placement is part of the work to assist a child deal with the life issues of adoption and permanent care.
Resources
Standards in Adoption , Section 6.2.
Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual , Section 12, p. 72.
Looking After Children (LAC); Overview of LAC records (available in the supplement to the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide ).
Fahlberg, V., 1994, A Child’s Journey through Placement , BAAF, London.
Ryan, T. & Walker, T., 1999, Life Story Work , BAAF, London.
Section 1.3: Life issues of adoption and permanent care, in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide .
There are many regional differences in permanent care which may affect preparation of a child for placement. The decision to place a child in permanent care is made by Protective Services. If the permanent care team participates in the initial decision making, it is generally in a consultancy capacity rather than as a worker for the child. The permanent care consultant may not be personally aware of the child or the child’s situation and the alternative plans that have been explored.
When the child is referred to Permanent Care, guardianship is generally held by the Department of Human Services. The child is usually living in foster care, supervised by a community service organisation (CSO). That agency is responsible for the day-to-day management of issues with the foster parent and for the support of the foster parents and child. Frequently the CSO has held case management for the child for an extended period of time and may know more about the child than do others working with the child.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 47
Following the decision to place the child in permanent care, the child is referred to the regional permanent care agency.
Some teams assume case management of the child at referral; other teams do not and the case management may remain with the CSO where the child is placed. Consequently, the permanent care team responsible for finding an appropriate placement for the child may not have responsibility for case management or for preparation of the child for placement. The separation of tasks can increase the complexity of preparing a child for placement.
The permanent care worker responsible for the child may be working with Protective Services, a CSO, and another permanent care team that is providing the family. Working with multiple agencies requires negotiation of roles with each of the agencies involved with the child. Foster parents are essential to a smooth transfer of placement and often require extensive support to effect a positive move. The permanent care worker must work closely with the CSO and negotiate to work with the foster carer. Preparation for placement can commence later than is ideal and after a child has been case planned for permanent care.
Workers are advised to ensure that they understand the expectations and process within their region.
Preparation of the child for placement prior to linking with a family includes planning for the move and working with the child, the birth family and the foster carers to ensure minimal disruption and minimal trauma for the child. The focus is on what the child needs to move successfully with the minimal detrimental effect. Preparation for placement after linking includes planning with the foster parents to assist the child to move and working with the permanent care family to achieve the move. As each child’s needs are different, the planning will vary. Some placements will require extensive preparation of the child, the foster family and the permanent care family.
Preparation for placement includes assisting the child to understand his or her current situation and the reasons for the change. Good preparation assists the child deal with loss in order that the child is in a position to grow in the new family. It includes getting to know the child, introducing the child to the plan for permanent care, preparing the child for change, and assisting the child to understand the decision and his or her past. It includes learning what the child expects from the new family, assessing the child’s fears and identifying the child’s wishes for a new family.
Children in permanent care have generally experienced multiple placement moves. They experience loss with each move and may protect themselves from the pain of loss by becoming reluctant or unwilling to relate to people. When their ability to relate is impaired, they can become stuck in the past and unable to use the new home for growth and learning.
Preparation for permanent placement can reduce the negative effects of multiple moves on a child and can set the stage for the child to develop strong relationships in the permanent family.
Activity
Reflect on the following: You have come home from work and are sitting down to dinner. There is a knock at the door. Two strangers come in and insist you go with them, leaving your husband and two children behind. You drive to an office and go in. There is a lot of talk and telephoning but you do not understand what is going on. A person speaks to you and says that you are going to a new home. She says it is because of conditions at your home, but you do not understand what she means. You are driven by two people to a house in a suburb you do not know. You are introduced to two people who are friendly but directive. You are shown your room and told you can talk to them any time.
How would you feel?

48 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
What fears would you have?
What do you think it is like leaving everything you know?
What do you think it is like not knowing if you will be going back to your family?
What do you think it would be like for a child who has little life experience to assist in processing what is happening?
A child experiencing an abrupt loss is more likely to get stuck in the grief process than a child who experiences loss with sensitive handling of the issues and preparation for the experience. If a child is highly traumatised by the loss, there is likely to be more work required at a later time to assist that child adjust and gain control over his or her behaviour than the amount of work required for adequate preparation for a move.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 49
A child’s whole world changes when they move. There is nothing familiar that they can cling to. They are with new adults who do things differently. The child does not know how to read the signals of the adults’ responses: affection, frustration, pleasure or anger. The house and neighbours are unfamiliar. There are no people that the child knows. The school is new.
Activities are new. She or he does not know what is expected and does not know how to behave. Most children in care are not particularly good at reading signals from others accurately and are better versed in survival than relationship building.
They are at an extreme disadvantage in making a quick and successful adjustment to their new home.
It is the adult’s task to assist the children and to facilitate the growth. The child must grieve, but that is not possible until after the move. Prior to moving, the child’s energy is consumed by the impending event. The child cannot mourn the loss at that time but needs to know two essentials:
1.
what the new situation will be like
2.
how the change fits into their history.
Life story work: what the child needs to know about the past
When faced with moves, a child’s history becomes muddled and much information can be lost as there is no consistent adult to provide the history. For children raised in care there are painful experiences embedded in their history. Most children have limited or no access to these experiences, thus inhibiting their capacity to understand their past. Although life story work should have been started when the child first came into care, there is no guarantee it will have been done.
Life story work is ongoing and is critical to helping children to understand their backgrounds. One of the tasks of the worker, and later the new family, is to provide as much history as possible and build upon the initiatives already started.
Life story work aims to assist a child deal with the past and release energy for growth in the present. It assists the child in ordering the confusion and in understanding the trauma she or he has experienced and in dealing with painful and traumatic memories. This in turn can help build positive self-esteem and can assist in making connections and building a positive identity. Through life story work the child can gain an understanding of the past and the reason for the moves.
They can place the current move in perspective and call upon past learning to handle the current change. The child can view himself or herself as a survivor.
In practice, life story work has had less of a focus, not because it is thought to be unimportant, but because the information can be difficult and time-consuming to obtain. It is hoped that the LAC reports will assist in organising the information about a child, which can then be translated into a medium suitable for a child.
Working with a child around the life story should be a part of preparation for placement. It provides opportunity to get to know the child, the child’s past and the way the child understands the past. It gives insight into the issues that will impact upon placement. It prepares the child for the move and places the current move in a historical perspective. It provides a medium to discuss many of the issues and events in a child’s life before placement.
Life story work is an ongoing process which should actively involve the child in talking about the past and in activities to record and illustrate the past. Something durable and concrete needs to be produced jointly with the child and should allow additions to be made as more is learned about the child’s past and the child’s perception changes with maturity and advanced understanding. The product, often a book, needs to be readily available for the child to explore at his or her own pace. Many carers and workers are highly imaginative about its presentation.
What the child needs to know about their new family
Children need information to prepare for entering a new family. They need to know who is in the new family, where the family lives, what the family’s house is like and what the child’s room is like. They need to know about the school and the neighbourhood. Providing pictures and videos of the new family and visiting the new home and school are a few of the ways of introducing the child to the new family.
The child needs to know whether the new parents:
1 can look after their emotional and physical needs
2 can accept their past including all their ‘bad’ behaviour.

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It is essential that the new parents are told all that is known of the child’s past and that the child is aware that they know all of it. The child needs to know that the new parents accept him or her, knowing the worst. When the child tests out his or her worst behaviour it can be done with confidence that the new parents are aware of how bad she or he can be.
The child also needs to know how to read the new parents. The child needs to know what the parents expect behaviourally, how the parents express affection to children and what the parents look like and say and do when they are angry. The child needs to know how the parents play with a child of his or her age and how they contain a child who gets out of line. In other words, the child needs to know the family’s rules. Many families have unspoken rules about behaviour. Permanent care parents need to understand what these are and to be able to articulate them to a child. One technique for assisting a child to learn about the new family before moving is to set tasks of learning to be explored on visits to the new home or in talking with the new parents. New parents and workers need to demonstrate and verbalise to a young child the new expectations within the family.
Vera Fahlberg has devised a worksheet to assist in planning for what the child needs as placement draws close. The worksheet includes identifying the underlying messages for the child, the strategies to give the messages and the specific steps to do this. A copy of the worksheet is found under in the next activity.
Jade is six and a half years old. She was first referred to protective services at five months. The protective concerns were her mother Mandy’s drug-taking and Mandy’s consequent neglect of Jade, Jade’s being left in the care of others without planning, and the level of violence between Mandy and her de facto. Jade was taken into care at six months. At that time she was described as quite a withdrawn baby who was not meeting her milestones and had not grown as would be expected. Three attempts at reunification were made. Jade was returned to care twice. The third attempt failed when it became apparent that Mandy had resumed drug-taking and was again involved in a violent de facto relationship.
Guardianship was obtained after a contested hearing when Jade was five years of age. Jade was case planned for permanent care shortly after. Jade remained in her third foster home. She was described as very distressed after each return from her mother’s care. Involving her in activities and conversation was difficult after each return to care. Her expression was blank, she flinched when approached and would cry for long periods apparently without any precipitating event.
After three months in care Jade began to respond to her carer but would not approach her for comfort. She tried to be independent in all self-care but had not mastered toileting, bathing or dressing. There were frequent tantrums when the carer assisted her. She became increasingly active but had a very short attention span. Her language improved but she needed constant reminding that it was a conversation and that she should respond to the carer when addressed. She had little idea how to ask for anything and could not identify her feelings or connect them to events that had happened.
As her activity increased so did her tendency to have aggressive outbursts. She was competitive for attention with other children and did not adjust well to kindergarten, even when placed below her age group.
Her foster mum found life more peaceful when she left Jade to herself but did not think this was good for her. She felt that Jade followed her around silently but turned away when foster mum approached. If other children were present,
Jade was all over her foster mum excluding the other children. The foster mother found her patience wearing thin and would at times flare up at Jade. After these episodes Jade would often be found asleep in her foster mother’s bed.
Jade was assessed by a psychologist who identified attachment disorder with frequent oppositional behaviours and childhood depression. In view of the instability of her placement, it was suggested that therapy be instituted after Jade was placed in a permanent family.
Access with the birth mother had been set for fortnightly initially and later changed to monthly. Mandy attended erratically and demanded that access be arranged on short notice or when she wanted it. Even with the worker transporting Mandy to contact visits, Mandy often failed to attend. When having contact, Mandy frequently told Jade that she would be coming home and that the Department of Human Services had no right to take her away. Mandy denied her drug-taking to the worker and did not acknowledge the difficulties she was having surviving and with her de facto.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 51
Activity
Identify what Jade should know about her permanent placement and strategies to give her the information she needs.
Before completing the worksheet you need to utilise reflective practice guidelines to identify issues.
Experience: facts
Reflection: What do the facts mean?
Conceptualisation: issues to address in this case, underlying message and strategies
Active experimentation: in this case, completing the specific steps to implement.
Complete the following worksheet.
Worksheet: Preparation for placement
Underlying message to child Strategies to give message
Specific steps to implement
How would life story work assist you with this task?
Discuss with your supervisor.
In the process of getting to know a child and preparing the child for placement you will also be identifying particular needs of the child in placement. Section 3.9: Linking children with permanent care parents , of this learning guide focuses on selection of a family for a child.
Preparation of the birth parents for the child’s placement is as important as preparation of the permanent carers. Birth parents have strong influence on their children and their permission for the child to join the new family and make that family their own can ease the child’s adjustment to the new family. Many birth parents accept the placement, but others may not understand the move or may not agree to the plan for permanent care. Some birth parents are very involved in the placement plan; others are absent either by choice or through circumstance. Birth parents have enormous power to influence the child’s adjustment to the placement and, wherever possible, should be involved in the process in ways that ease the transition for the child.
The birth parent has knowledge about the child and about the child’s birth family that no other party has. The birth parents hold the key to much of the child’s past and to many decisions that have been made about the child. When supportive of the placement, the birth parents and birth family can be highly instrumental in its success. Although it is recognised that some birth parents of children in permanent care may be unable to make a positive contribution to a child’s moving to a permanent family, attempts to engage the birth parent and birth family to assist with placement adjustment should be made.

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No matter what the birth family’s experience has been in working with Protective Services, the situation changes when permanent care is planned. The placement of a child permanently in another family signifies the end of the child’s returning to the birth parents’ care. The permanent care worker’s task is to find a placement and make it work. Refocusing the birth parents and family on the new task can open the possibility of engaging them in a different way with the child and the new family. However, it is challenging and much hinges on the permanent carer’s initial contact with the birth parent, how the birth parent perceives the worker, and how the worker engages the birth parent.
Birth parents may not understand permanent care. Often it is not explained well in the case planning process or they may have missed essential information when under stress. There may be indications that the birth parent does not want to hear. The worker will need to check the birth parents’ understanding of permanent care and assist them to understand why their child is being placed.
If birth parents are able to give their child permission to move and to become a part of a permanent care family, the task for the child is simplified. The child can remain loyal to both families and move forward with the developmental and emotional tasks necessary for his or her age and development. Although some parents are not able to release their child in this way, many can achieve an acceptance of the placement which assists the child’s adjustment.
It is particularly difficult for a child when the birth parent does not want contact with the child and the new family. The message given to the child can be that the new family is not acceptable to them. In these circumstances, the child must then choose between the families or divide loyalties. Neither approach is consistent with healthy adjustment.
Most birth parents want what is best for the child. Although it may be difficult, it is generally possible to engage the birth parent on some level. Ongoing contact is preferred for all placements and the earlier the permanent worker starts addressing the changes in perception that must be made and develops a positive working relationship with the birth parents, the better for the child. Preparation for placement provides many opportunities to do this.
Activity
Return to your worksheet for preparation for placement. How would you attempt to engage Mandy to assist Jade in her new home? Complete the following worksheet to cover the involvement of Mandy in the plan.
Complete the following worksheet.
Worksheet: Preparation for placement
Underlying message to child Strategies to give message
Specific steps to implement
How would life story work assist you with this task?

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 53
The foster family is a rich source of information regarding the child’s personality, daily activities and needs. The foster family has the most accurate and up-to-date information on the child’s behaviour, likes and dislikes. They are most aware of the particular issues a child presents in care and no introduction can occur without at least the minimal cooperation of the foster family. In most situations the foster family will work with the child’s new parents and the workers to effect a smooth transition to the new home, but you may need to explain what is expected from them.
Vera Fahlberg sets out a list of areas to be covered when assessing a child’s needs for care. The information is readily obtained from the foster parents and through the LAC reports. It includes:
• eating and table behaviours
• bedtime, sleeping and awakening patterns
• self-care skills
• play skills and peer relationships
• response to authority
• talents
• chores
• interaction with adults
• expression of feelings
• school functioning
• medical problems
• affection
• conscience development
• basic temperament
• unusual behaviours.
Attachment is an important part of the foster carers’ care of the children and foster parents are often very fond of and well attached to the children in their care. How the foster parents will give permission to the child to move, say good bye and maintain their relationship is part of preparation for placement. The child needs to know his or her leaving will have the same effect on the foster family as it has on the child; there will be losses on all sides. It is important that leaving is constructive for the child and not competitive between the foster carer and the permanent care parents. The child needs to know that attachments continue after leaving and it is important that planning includes arrangements for future contact.
Conclusion
The pre-placement planning includes what happens immediately after placement has occurred. Generally, the need for ongoing involvement of the foster family lessens over time as the child releases them emotionally. If planning has gone well, the child should be ready to tackle the issue of mourning the loss of the foster family soon after placement. There will be many adjustments for the birth parents and their families and you need to continue to encourage them to support the child’s new placement. The work done in preparation is fundamental in facilitating the new placement and will generally reduce the time and effort needed to assist child and family after placement.

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Learning goals
• To understand the purpose of the Link Meeting.
• To develop awareness of factors influencing decision making.
• To understand the preparation for the Link Meeting.
Linking is the process through which a decision is made to place a particular child with a particular family. Every worker endeavours to place the child with the ‘right family’—a family that will be committed to raising the child as their own and able to provide for the child’s needs. There are risks with every permanent care placement, but there are many families that are willing to take the risks and that have the strengths to provide excellent homes for the children.
Children being referred to permanent care come from increasingly complex backgrounds. Most families will struggle at times with aspects of the child’s care but once they commit to the care of the child they are generally able to manage quite challenging issues and behaviour. Permanent care parents are healthy, well adjusted people who are keenly aware of the needs of the child and willing to make the adjustments necessary to successfully care for the child placed with them.
In assessment and prior to considering a placement, workers must identify the family’s strengths and the kind of child they wish to care for. There needs to be a detailed assessment of the child’s behaviour and the child’s emotional, social and cognitive needs. In making decisions about a placement there must be significant congruence between the kind of child the family desires and the child who is being placed.
Resources
Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual , Section 9, pp. 58–63.
Standards in Adoption , Section 6.1.
Agency manuals
LAC reports
Section 4.3: Attachment and trauma problems in children, in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide .
The Impact of Trauma on Children and How Adoptive and Foster Families Can Help Them, Real to Real – Dan Hughes, A video
Conversation (video), 2000, Family Futures Consortium.
Activity
Explore your attitudes toward placement.
Should all children be placed within a family setting?

How would you feel if told that a child is unplaceable?
How would you feel if a couple refused a child?
Would you advise a family to consider a child out of the age range they requested?
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56 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Would you discuss a placement with a family if the child has significant attachment problems and the family has requested the ability to attach?
Keep your notes and review and revise them after six months and after 12 months on the job.
Before looking for a family you need to identify the child’s emotional, social, cognitive and academic needs. There are a number of sources of information you can use when preparing for linking and placement including:
• protective reports
• the child
• Looking After Children (LAC) reports
• foster parents
• birth parents
• counsellors and other assessments.
These sources are discussed below.
Protective reports
The protective reports concentrate on the reasons the child was not able to remain safely in the care of the birth family.
This information is important for your understanding of the child and for identifying expectations of the birth parents. The worker should gather and collate information regarding the child’s background to assist the child and the permanent carers to understand the child’s situation; this should be balanced with information about the child’s behaviour. There is not necessarily a connection between the child’s behaviour and their background. Factors such as the child’s personal resilience, positive relationships and timing of the abuse all contribute to the way a child expresses problems. It is important that the prospective family is prepared to accept what has happened to the child and to work with the child to address issues resulting from his or her experience, but the focus of the worker is to seek out information related to the child’s behaviour and personal strengths as these are most relevant to a successful placement.
The child
Most children can tell their worker what they consider important in a permanent placement and their wishes need to be taken into account. Meeting with the child will enhance your understanding of the child’s personality, needs, interests and coping mechanisms.
When you work with older children you will have explored their feelings about permanent care and their wishes regarding a family. With all children you will have explained on some level what permanent care is and sought to address their fears or other issues about moving. The child’s response to your preparation will give you valuable insights into what the child is

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 57 anticipating and how the child will adjust. It will also give you insight into how the child responds to people and whether relationships appear to have meaning to the child.
You may have begun life story work with the child. The aim of life story work is to assist the child deal with painful and traumatic memories, to unravel confusion, to understand the reasons for past moves, and to build positive self-esteem and identity. Working with a child on a child’s life story provides valuable information about the child and their coping skills.
Looking After Children (LAC)
The Looking After Children (LAC) program has been introduced into out of home care services and will be extended to permanent care services. Children being referred to Permanent Care through Protective Services should already be part of this program.
LAC has potential for addressing some of the significant gaps in knowledge about children coming into permanent care.
The program focuses on the whole child and the written reports provide information on health, immunisations, school attendance and achievement, behaviour in placement and how it has been addressed, likes and dislikes, personality, social skills, developmental achievements, needs and contact with birth families. The LAC reports should be a rich source of information for assessing needs in placement and the child’s resilience and ability to change when in a stable environment.
Activity
Review content of the LAC reports. An overview of LAC records is available in the supplement to the Adoption and
Permanent Care learning guide .
Foster parents
Foster families are an often under-utilised source of knowledge about children’s day-to-day behaviour, their development and their overall functioning. They are a resource for how to handle difficult behaviour and ways to teach new skills. The
LAC program incorporates foster parent knowledge about the child, but workers are advised to talk with significant foster carers, past and present, to get a personal view of the child.
Birth parents
Many birth parents have considerable understanding of their children and this can be useful information for the linking process and for planning access arrangements. It is essential to plan contact arrangements before placement occurs and to assist the birth parent to support the new placement rather than feel threatened by it. What you learn about the birth parent and family and how they are likely to work with the permanent care family is important to the linking process.
Counsellors and other assessments
A number of children will have been attending counselling or have had specific assessments prior to referral for permanent care. The information provided by other professionals includes information on the type and severity of problems the child is experiencing and can provide valuable information on the progress the child is making in dealing with problems and in identifying specific needs in placement.
As most of the children being placed in permanent care have experienced significant placement disruption resulting in some degree of attachment disorder, you might find it helpful to complete Section 4.1: Child development and Section
4.3: Attachment-trauma problems in children , at this point. The attachment and bonding checklist is a useful tool in assessing whether a child is experiencing problems in this area. If a child has three or more of the behaviours on the list, that child is experiencing significant issues.

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Common behaviours of children who have been hurt
Superficially engaging and charming
Lack of eye contact on parental terms. Eye contact is likely to occur when the child is lying or wants something
Indiscriminate affection with strangers
Not affectionate on parental terms. Seeks affection on own terms
Destructive to self, others, and material things; accident prone
Stealing
Lying about the obvious
Cruel to animals
Lack of impulse control
Behaviour that seems pointless and hyperactive
Learning lags and gaps
Lack of cause and effect thinking
Lack of conscience
Abnormal eating patterns
Poor peer relationships
Preoccupation with fire
Persistent conscience questions and incessant chatter
Inappropriate demanding and clinginess
Abnormal speech patterns
Sexual acting out
Intense need to be in control
None Some Often

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 59
Jade is six and a half years old. She was first referred to protective services at age five months. The protective concerns were her mother Mandy’s drug taking and consequent neglect of the baby, her being left in the care of others without planning, and the level of violence between Mandy and Mandy’s de facto. Jade was taken into care. At that time she was described as a quiet withdrawn baby who was not meeting her milestones and had not grown as would be expected. Three attempts at reunification were made. Jade was returned to Mandy’s care. The third attempt failed when it became apparent that Mandy had resumed drug taking and was again involved with a known violent de facto.
Guardianship was obtained after a contested hearing when Jade was five years old. She was case planned for permanent care. Jade remained in her third foster home. She was described as very distressed after each return from care. Initially she withdrew and involving her in activities and conversation was difficult after return to care. Her expression was blank, she flinched when approached and would cry for long periods apparently without any precipitating event.
After three months in care Jade began to respond to her carer but would not approach her for comfort. She tried to be independent in all self care but had not mastered toileting, bathing or dressing. There were frequent tantrums when the carer assisted her. She became increasingly active but had a very short attention span. Her language improved but she needed constant reminding that it was a conversation and that she should respond to the carer when addressed. She had little idea how to ask for anything and could not identify her feelings or connect them to events that had happened.
As her activity increased so did her tendency to have aggressive outbursts. She was competitive for attention with other children and did not adjust well to kinder, even when placed below her age group.
Her foster mum found life more peaceful when she left Jade to herself but did not think this was good for Jade. She felt that Jade followed her around silently but turned away when her foster mum approached. If other children were present
Jade was all over her foster mum excluding the other children. Her foster mother found her patience wearing thin and would, at times, flare up at Jade. After these episodes Jade would often be found asleep in her foster mother’s bed.
Jade had been assessed by a psychologist who identified attachment disorder with frequent oppositional behaviours and childhood depression. In view of the instability of her residence it was suggested that therapy be instituted after
Jade was placed in a permanent family.
Access with the birth mother initially had been set for fortnightly and later changed to monthly. Mandy attended erratically and demanded that access be arranged on short notice when she wanted it. Even with the worker transporting Mandy to access, Mandy often failed to attend. When having contact Mandy frequently told Jade she would be coming home and that the department had no right to take her away. Mandy denied her drug taking to the worker and did not acknowledge the difficulties she was having with her de facto.
Activity
Complete the attachment and bonding checklist for Jade.
What attachment disorder symptoms does Jade have?

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What needs can you identify for Jade in placement?
Some of the needs you might have identified for Jade are:
• a carer who can tolerate lack of response
• a carer who can deal with aggressive behaviour
• no children in family close to Jade’s age
• access to therapy.
The Link Report is used to provide information for the Link Committee that makes the decision regarding placement of the child. Specialist reports may be attached to the Link Report where the information is vital for decision making.
The Link Report includes information on:
• background of child
• access
• wishes of birth parents
• behaviour of child
• level of functioning
• needs of child
• characteristics looked for in permanent care family.
You should complete your assessment of the child’s needs and your link report before speaking with other workers about a family for the child. This will ensure that you have a clear understanding of the child’s needs. After you have obtained information about Jade, you are ready to write your Link Report. Each team will have a particular format for the report.
You will need to obtain your agency’s format and discuss it with your supervisor.
Activity
Read the Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual, Section 9, pp. 61–63.
Identify what you would include in your Link Report for Jade.
Background of child

Access
Wishes of birth parents
Behaviour of child
Level of functioning
Needs of child
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Characteristics looked for in permanent care family
Discuss with your supervisor
After you have defined the needs of the child in placement, you are ready to identify families that can meet the needs of the child. You now need to know the assessing worker’s perception of a family’s ability to handle each of the areas identified in your assessment of the child.
Generally, families within your agency are identified through discussion with your supervisor and other team members. As there is no guarantee that a family from your agency will provide the optimal placement for the child, you should check the
Central Resource Exchange (CRE). Most workers also discuss the placement with the team leaders of other permanent care teams as not all the eligible families are listed on the CRE. When a potential family is located, an in depth discussion with the family’s worker takes place. If you and the family’s worker believe a placement is possible, further discussion occurs with your supervisor who must approve the potential link for it to go to the Link Meeting. If agreed that the placement could meet the needs of the child, you then return to the family’s worker to discuss the child and the family in more detail and arrange for the family to be presented at the Link Meeting.
The child’s region of origin has the responsibility for approval of the placement and therefore auspices the Link Meeting.
The placement will be supervised by the team which assessed the family selected. You will have attended a Link Meeting in your agency prior to arranging your first Link Meeting and will have read the assessment reports of prospective parents and the Link Report on the child prior to that meeting. You therefore have some idea what to expect. Your supervisor will assist you with the preparation for the meeting. You are responsible for arranging the Link Meeting and should make the reports available to the Link Committee one week prior to the meeting.
Teams may have different procedures for Link Meetings which will need to be discussed as part of the planning. The most notable difference is that some teams contact the prospective parent before the Link Meeting to discuss, in a nonidentifying manner, whether they believe they should be considered for the placement. Workers report that this enhances the carer’s involvement in decision making and enhances the shared responsibility between agency and family after placement, without compromising the child’s and the birth parents’ confidentiality. The feedback from carers contacted before being considered for the placement is positive. The decision to care for a child is important and they feel their involvement outweighs the experience of having to say no to possible placements or being disappointed on those occasions when another family is selected. Those agencies that do not contact the prospective parents prior to the Link
Meeting indicate that it reduces the trauma of disappointment and protects the privacy of all parties. They believe the child’s worker should be the one to provide information to the prospective parents and that it is best accomplished after the family is selected for care of the child. Response to both practices is positive.
There needs to be sensitivity to the differences in practice between agencies when planning Link Meetings. Differences may impact on procedure in linking and introductions.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 63
Activity
The following activity uses one of your cases rather than Jade. Prior to your first Link Meeting where you are presenting the child:
1 Write the Link Report and have it approved by your supervisor.
2 Identify with your supervisor the families to be presented for placement of the child.
3 Arrange the date, time, venue and constellation of Link Meeting according to your agency’s procedures.
4 Provide copies of all reports to Link Committee members at least one week prior to the Link Meeting.
5 Prepare to present your child at the Link Meeting.
You will be asked to summarise the child’s situation, background, access requirements and needs in placement for the
Link Committee. The committee will clarify issues with you regarding the child. You should be objective about the child’s needs as you want a placement that can tolerate the risks and can meet the long term needs of the child.
Activity
Prior to your first Link Meeting where you are presenting a child, identify the strengths the family has to meet the needs of the child. Plan how you will present those strengths in the Link Meeting.
Need of child
Strengths of parent

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Presentation plan
Discuss your presentation with your supervisor before and after the Link Meeting. You supervisor may accompany you to your first Link Meeting.
You have participated in discussion about the link and read the report prior to the meeting being arranged. Consequently, you have some understanding of the needs of the child. Your focus when presenting the family should be on how well they can meet the needs of the child. The members of the Link Committee should have read the report prior to the meeting.
Their questions regarding background of the family and issues within the family should relate to consideration of the parents’ abilities to meet the needs of the child.
Generally Link Meetings follow a format similar to the following:
• presentation of child and discussion
• presentation of families to be considered and discussion
• committee discussion of relative strengths of families presented
• discussion of issues which may need to be addressed when considering placement
• decision regarding placement.
During the Link Meeting you have the task of identifying any aspects of the case plan which may need altering in relation to achieving a successful placement if your family is selected. Frequently the desired access with the birth family is different to the access the permanent care family has agreed to. Differences need to be addressed before a decision to place the child is made, and work may need to be done with both the permanent care family and the birth family to achieve an agreement for contact which can be implemented. It is difficult to address unresolved issues about access once the placement is made.
You should leave the Link Meeting with a clear understanding of the responsibilities of each agency involved with the child.
Potentially there are a number of agencies and people that could be involved with the placement, such as staff from
Department of Human Services, other permanent care agencies, foster care agencies and the birth parents. Although there will be compromises, there should be an agreed-upon base for the placement which can support the carers becoming guardians of the child in 12–24 months. From the Link Meeting onwards you are preparing the family to assume guardianship of the child.
As well as presenting your family to the committee, it is your task to listen to the committee’s concerns and to their point of view about the child and the family. The committee are viewing the child and the family from a fresh and experienced perspective and may see aspects of the child and the child’s needs or the family strengths differently form you or your supervisor. A great deal can be learned from observing the process of the Link Committee meeting.
Activity
You have used your real case. After the Link Meeting discuss your questions and what you have learned with your supervisor.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 65
Learning goals
• To understand the needs of child and family when being introduced to each other.
• To be able to plan an introduction.
Introductions are a time of great excitement, but they are also a time of great stress for all concerned. Workers need to be patient, calm, thoughtful and adaptable in planning and to trust in the soundness of the processes and decisions which have lead up to the placement.
Preparation for placement begins when the decision for permanent care is made for a child. The introduction period is the last phase of preparation of the child for placement. However, at times the preparation for placement is left until the point at which a family has been selected and linked, when it is possible to talk with the child about a specific family.
Section 3.8: Preparation of children for permanent care placement , focuses on preparation of all parties for placement. This section will focus on the final stage.
Resources
Standards in Adoption , Section 6.2.
Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual , Section 12.
Agency manual section on permanent care introductions
Fahlberg, V., 1994, A Child’s Journey through Placement , BAAF, London.
It is crucial to prepare a child for placement and to plan the introduction well to minimise the impact of the move on the child. Any move for the child inevitably involves another loss. If handled well, the move to the child’s permanent family can be accomplished with limited disruption and long term impact on the child.
The responsibility for the planning and supervision of an introduction varies from region to region. In some regions, the worker for the permanent care family will take primary responsibility for organising the introduction. That worker assessed the permanent care family and will supervise the ongoing placement of the child. The advantage of this approach relates to the intimate knowledge the worker has of the permanent care family and the relationship they have built up over the period of assessment and waiting for placement. A worker who knows the family well should be alert to the possible areas of stress for the permanent care family after placement and should have a relationship with the family which enables problems to be addressed. The worker for the family generally takes the lead in planning and organising the introduction of the child to the family, but the planning must be done in conjunction with other players: the foster care agency, the foster family, the child’s worker and other professionals involved with the child.
In other regions, the worker for the child will take primary responsibility for the introduction. The advantage of this model is that the worker knows the child well and can provide input in planning and gauging the impact of the transition on the child. Reducing contact with a known worker at that point could be seen by the child as abandonment. The worker should have established relationships with the foster family, their worker and agency and know how their region works.
No matter who holds the ultimate responsibility for the transition, the planning and implementation of an introduction involves a high level of collaboration between all parties.

66 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
There is no set pattern to follow when planning an introduction. Guidelines are provided, but every situation is different and requires judgment relating to the needs of the child and the family. There are however a number of factors which need to be considered when planning an introduction. These are discussed below.
Timing—child’s view
An introduction that is too long is potentially as damaging to the child and family’s future adjustment as an introduction that is too short. The age and developmental level of the child must be considered when planning the introduction. Although there are a few guidelines, observation of the child and revision of the plan in terms of the child’s needs is essential.
Vera Fahlberg has suggested the following as a guide. Two to three days for a child less than four months old is recommended. A child older than four months is usually showing attachment to their carer and needs time to become familiar with the new carers before the move. Extended introductions tend not to assist as a child of this age cannot hold the new carers in mind between visits. Children of this age tend to do well with an intense period of contact where they can become comfortable with the new parents and the parents can become familiar with the child’s routine. For toddlers, seven to ten days is usually about right.
The preschooler older than eighteen months needs longer to adjust to the new family and so needs a more elaborate introduction, but again too long a transition can be detrimental. Preschoolers need visual aids to hold the new family in mind and time for workers and foster families to acknowledge the feelings they are having, but not so much time that they begin to believe there is no move. The child needs to accept the move and to be ready to face that they will miss the foster family before the move. As Vera Fahlberg states, the child should not be moved in the denial phase but in the sad–mad phase of accepting loss. Three weeks, possibly extending to four seems to meet most children’s needs in this age group.
School age children are able to hold the new family in mind between visits and their maturity and increased ability to express their needs means that they can be more active participants in timing the move than can younger children.
Introductions can be longer, but should be closely monitored. The move should occur when the child is at the point where they can accept the move and the feelings of loss that they will experience, and before the point where the child loses confidence that the move will occur.
Workers should be alert to those children who have attachment difficulties: those children who move too easily and without any discernible emotions about their significant losses. They will need to work intensively on this issue before the placement and later with the new family.
It must be stressed that the timing of moves requires flexibility. Regular review of the child’s progress is necessary as is assessment of how other parties are managing this stressful and often emotional period. Where necessary the transition period can be lengthened or shortened to meet the needs of the child.
Timing—parent’s view
Most permanent care parents would like the move to occur quickly. Most can understand the need for the child to get to know them prior to the move and, while they can appreciate that they need to become familiar with the child, a part of them wants to claim the child totally and quickly. Often the new family assumes that the child has attached to them immediately, particularly if the introduction is going well, but the assumption is seldom based on reality. Many new parents find it difficult to relax and be themselves with the foster parent, who knows the child well. They need to be in their own home to begin to feel confident as parents. It is important that the family appreciates the need to take this period slowly and carefully, and to see that this transitional time is the beginning of building a new relationship.
Distance between families and other obligations
Where both the permanent care family and the foster family live close by, introductions can be arranged flexibly. Many placements, however, are across regions, and distances can place great strain on parents and children alike. If the parents have other children, the stresses increase as they must meet the needs of the other children as well as those of their new child. Compromises may have to be made, and it is counterproductive to insist on a long introduction which leaves the new parents too exhausted to expend the energy needed in the initial adjustment when the child moves into their family

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 67
The foster family’s ability to assist in the introduction
Ideally the foster family will assist the new family and the child in the adjustments that need to be made. They will be able to explain to the new parents the child’s routines, likes and dislikes, the way the family handles the child’s behaviour, and the child’s interests and successes. They will be able to acknowledge their feelings with the child and encourage the child to move and to acknowledge their feelings about the foster family.
Many foster parents are skilled at assisting the child to move. However, if the foster parents do not allow the new parents to feel competent, cannot give the child permission to go to the new home, overwhelm the child with their feelings or compete with the new family, they are more likely to undermine the goals set for the introduction. If the foster carer’s attitude toward the birth family is negative, it can have a powerful influence on the new family and how they will relate to the child and their extended family. If it is assessed that the foster parents are likely to impact negatively on the new placement, it may be better to move the child quickly and address the issues for the child in the new home rather than prolong the introduction.
Children adjust at different rates. For some children a quicker move with the opportunity to maintain an ongoing relationship with their foster family after the move is better. For other children, it is better to move slowly with the child working on issues as the introduction progresses. If information is known about how the child handled past moves, this will be a good indicator of what is best for the child. However, it is more likely that little will be known about past moves or that previous moves were abrupt and unplanned.
The child’s readiness to move needs to be monitored by his or her worker and the foster family, and decisions need to be made in relation to the needs of the child wherever possible. Tasks have already been set for the child and family to accomplish in preparation for the move. Review of those tasks and discussion with the child and the foster parents can provide the information needed to determine the time of the transfer to the new home.
In considering the length of the introduction, a number of factors relating to the needs of the child, the permanent care family and the foster family must be considered. The worker must balance these competing needs and choose a path which best meets the child’s needs but is still possible to implement without exhausting the new parents.
If possible, there should be a quiet settling in period after a child moves and before other activities start. If there is a choice, it is good to place a school age child at the beginning of the school holidays in order that she or he has a chance to make initial adjustments to the new family before starting a new school. Sometimes moves are made at a time set by the foster family’s schedule; the placement is ending and the option of moving the child twice is less desirable than an introduction that takes place more quickly than is ideal.
Once the link has been made, the worker should draw up a tentative introduction plan to be discussed with all parties. The plan should include:
• addressing issues raised in the Link Meeting regarding access, the Order and other issues effecting the placement
• advising the permanent care parents of the child
• discussion with the new parents regarding the child
• time for the permanent care parents to follow up any issues such as medical concerns or counselling and school
• time to consider taking on the care of the child
• advising the child of the new family
• meeting between the child and the new family
• a series of activities to enable the child and new parents to get to know each other

68 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
• the decision that the placement should go ahead
• the anticipated time of the move
• the farewell (saying goodbye) to the child’s foster family, friends and school
• meeting with the birth parents and birth relatives if appropriate
• the settling in period
• contact with foster family after placement
• a periodic review of the plan.
The plan should be coordinated with all relevant parties, the permanent care family, all workers and the foster family. It is recommended that the plan be written and provided to each party. Although there will be changes as the introduction progresses, a written plan reduces confusion and the possibility of misunderstanding between parties involved in the move to the new home.
The tasks and timing of each step must be related to the specific situation. Additional issues may become apparent for the child as the introduction progresses. Carers may need to address personal issues. In some cases a placement should not go ahead. This may not become known until the introduction begins. If this occurs you need to speak with your supervisor immediately.
The following worksheet is useful in planning an introduction.
Introduction plan
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
It has been decided at the Link Meeting that Jade can be placed with Mark and Brenda. There were some misgiving and it is recognised that this is a ‘risk’ placement but on balance it was felt that Mark and Brenda had the strengths and interest to care for Jade. Mark and Brenda’s worker had spoken with them prior to the link meeting regarding a child like
Jade and they thought that they would be able to make the placement work.
Jade is now six and a half years old. She was referred to Protective Services at five months due to her mother’s substance abuse and inability to provide care for the infant. Jade was underweight and undersize at time of admission to care and had not met her milestones. She gained weight in care and responded quickly to the foster parents. She had been returned to her birth mother’s care twice but each time reunification failed. Her mother failed to provide adequate care and there was substantial neglect. Her birth mother continued to have a series of short term relationships. The family was well-known to the police for drug use and frequent domestic disturbances.
Each time Jade returned from care she was withdrawn and took several weeks to respond to the carer. Her second carer tended to leave her alone as she thought that was what Jade preferred. After her first return, Jade became overly active following a period of withdrawal and was demanding and clingy to her foster mother when other children were

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 69 present, but seemed afraid of her foster father. She did not like loud noises and if she heard people arguing became very distressed. She did not want to cuddle or be comforted except, it seemed, in competition with another child. She ordered her foster mother to do things for her but would not follow directions consistently and did not like the foster mother to initiate interaction.
Jade was reported to be fine after the second return from living at home with her birth mother. She was quiet but did what she was told. She did not often initiate activity with others and seemed a little competitive, but generally her behaviour was good. Jade attended four-year-old kindergarten. Her teachers described her as a loner who generally caused no problem. Occasionally she would run wild and scream abuse at another child if that child interfered with her activity, but generally she cooperated. She was noted not to like change in routine. At story time she would sit close to the teacher and pay close attention to the story. Her teacher thought at times she was off dreaming in a fantasy world.
Her school history has been chequered. She repeated prep as it was thought she was not ready for grade one. She was described as immature and unwilling to try activities. She sat with other children and seldom disrupted the class but made no friends and seemed to be reluctant to interact with other children.
When her worker spoke to her about never living with her birth mother again she seemed to relax but said nothing. When told of the plan for permanent care she said she wanted a family right away but gave no indication of any characteristics she would like in the family. Her worker perceived her as wanting any family to be ‘normal.’ She became animated when talking of having a real family.
Jade is a petite and pretty six year old who can be ingratiating. Her worker describes her with a lot of unknowns. The worker believes her lack of relationship within the foster family relates as much to the foster mother as to Jade. She has encouraged the foster mother to engage Jade more, but the foster mother has stated that Jade is better when interaction is left to her to initiate. The worker believes Jade relates to Mandy and looks forward to her visits. As there is no problem with cooperation in daily care and getting to school she sees no need to intervene.
Activity
Refer to your worksheet in Section 3.8.2: Preparation of children for placement . Review it and add anything you think relevant from the additional information.
Complete an introduction plan for Jade, including the points identified above. Define who will do each task and when it should happen. You may need to refer to the Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual and your agency manuals.
Discuss with you supervisor.
Introduction plan
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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Many placements in permanent care are interagency placements and case management is transferred to the permanent care team that assessed the family. It is easy to overlook some of the details that must be attended to at time of placement and before the Permanent Care Order is applied for. The checklist regarding transfer of case management between permanent care teams is a useful tool to guide you through the many details of a permanent care placement. The checklist regarding transfer of case management between permanent care teams is available in the supplement to the
Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide .
The day the child moves to the new family is generally a day of celebration for the child and the permanent care parents. It is the beginning of their life together and a significant date for all parties. Many children have waited years for their family and, although the child is moving with many fears, the new home has great importance.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 71
Learning goals
• To understand the role of case management.
• To understand worker’s role and responsibilities in exercise of duty of care for the child by the Department of Human
Services.
The Department of Human Services has a statutory responsibility toward children in permanent care while guardianship is held by the Secretary to the Department. The exercise of departmental statutory responsibilities involves casework, case management and case planning responsibilities. Although the aspects of placement supervision are interlinked, this section will deal predominately with case management. Section 3.12: Permanent care placement support provides casework focus and discusses ongoing placement support. Sections 3.11 and 3.12 of the learning guide should be completed together as each worker has a dual role of providing support and supervising the placement to meet statutory requirements.
Placement supervision is in effect until the Permanent Care Order is granted by the Children’s Court of Victoria. At that point guardianship is transferred to the permanent care parents and the department ceases to have guardianship responsibility. Placement support, however, is likely to continue following the making of the order. Its focus is on the ongoing needs of the child and the support of the parents to enable that child to develop optimally.
Resources
Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual , Sections 13 and 16.
Standards in Adoption , Section 6.3.
Children and Young Persons Act 1989
Agency manuals
Section 3.2: Departmental decision making in permanent care, in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide .
The Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual sets out five objectives of placement supervision:
• to carry out statutory guardianship responsibilities by ensuring the child’s development is promoted within the care giving family
• to assess the adjustment of the family and the child and the level and type of support required
• to provide support to the family in meeting the needs of the child
• to identify local support services and provision of assistance to the family in forming linkages with these where appropriate
• to enhance the family’s appreciation of permanent care issues.
The focus of supervising a child’s placement is to move towards the permanent care parents taking on total responsibility for the child. Prior to the Permanent Care Order being granted, the case manager will report to the court regarding the child’s adjustment and the family’s ability to provide a suitable placement for the child. To fulfil its responsibilities, case management is transferred to the permanent care team which has provided the placement for the child.
There are regional differences in the procedures and expectations of Protective Services regarding the role and duties of the case managers. You will need to consult with your supervisor regarding the expectations of your regional Department of Human Services office. Guardianship is generally held by the region of the last address of the birth parent or the region where the child is placed. Workers may therefore be dealing with different Department of Human Services regions.
Workers are advised to check and confirm expectations of Protective Services carefully when case management is negotiated to avoid confusion resulting from regional differences.

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Case management held by a community service organisation (CSO)
Generally, case management is contracted to the permanent care team which placed the child, either at the point of the child being referred to the team for placement or when the child is placed with a family assessed by that agency. The
Protective Services team that has responsibility for the child prepares a formal case contract which is forwarded to the
CSO Adoption and Permanent Care team. The CSO and the department agree on the conditions of the contract, each signs the contract and the CSO assumes the case management responsibility for the child. That agency then provides dayto-day support for the placement.
Child Protection generally uses a standard case management contract which may not reflect the needs of a permanent care placement. Your supervisor or team leader, who must check and sign the contracts, will talk with you regarding the conditions of the contract and the expectations of your agency. Some regions have prepared a contract specific to permanent care covering the issues pertinent to the case plan and type of placement.
Guardianship responsibilities are not transferred through case management. The worker is responsible for reporting to the department on the child and their adjustment to placement. Generally, the worker provides a quarterly report to the
Department of Human Services and reports matters of concern to the department. All guardianship decisions must be referred to the department.
Case management held by Department of Human Services teams
Case management in a departmental permanent care team is generally delegated to the permanent care team.
Guardianship is held by the department and although responsibilities can be delegated within the department, Protective
Services maintains case planning responsibility. Although you will have similar tasks and responsibilities to CSO teams in relation to the child, the permanent care family and the birth family, some procedures and systems may be different. If you are in a departmental team you will need to clarify your responsibilities with your supervisor.
Management responsibilities
The role of the case manager in placement supervision is multifaceted. Case management requires the worker to be involved with all parties to the placement and to balance any conflicting needs of the child, the birth parents and the permanent care parents. It implies meeting individual needs and assisting with adjustment, keeping the interest and welfare of the child foremost. Balancing conflicting needs and assisting with behaviour management and adjustment of child and carers to each other can be challenging.
The tasks of placement supervision include:
• preparation of the carers to assume guardianship of the child
• ensuring the welfare of the child
• arranging contact and resolving access issues
• working with birth parents to accept and facilitate the placement
• assisting with placement adjustment of child and carers
• assisting with obtaining services for the child
The Department of Human Services has a duty of care which cannot be delegated if the child is under guardianship. The quarterly reports to the department are the record of the care of the child. The reporting mechanism from the agency holding case management to the department is very important.
Quarterly reports
These reports include information on the behaviour of the child and the adjustment of the child to the placement. They include particular issues for the child and the adjustment of the carers to the child. They include work with the birth family and report on the access that has occurred. The department should be aware of the problems as well as the successes of the placement. The decision regarding transferring guardianship to the carers is based on the information in the report.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 73
Jade has now lived with Mark and Brenda for three months. When she came she was a very quiet child who tried to do everything she was told even if she did not know how. She retreated to her room frequently. Brenda and Mark could see no reason for her withdrawal. They generally gave her ten to thirty minutes on her own and went in and tried to entice her to come out. Brenda and Mark felt that it was rather like a game but they did not know the rules. Sometimes she would come out but continued interaction had to be initiated by the parents. Her face often was a blank and they had difficulty reading her response. They were having trouble engaging her in talk and Brenda felt that she was lecturing
Jade about her feelings without any recognition on Jade’s part that she shared that view of her feelings.
Brenda and Mark were anxious to please Jade and tried to do things that would ‘make a little girl happy’. Jade took part but without animation. They spoke with the foster mother who said she was like that and not to worry as it was Jade’s personality.
Jade seemed to fade into the woodwork at school and the teachers often had little impression of what she had been like during the day when Brenda asked after school. There were at least three occasions, however, when it was reported that Jade had ripped paintings off the wall in her classroom. She did not seem to have friends and another child reported that Jade had punched her and pulled her hair when she was chosen to play a game ahead of Jade.
After two months, Brenda and Mark in consultation with the worker decided they would invite Jade out of her room and advise her that if she did not come they would take her to an activity but would not discuss why with her. Jade would not come out when invited and became a limp doll when they moved her to an activity. Although she joined the activity, the parents were quite distressed at her behaviour. They found they were leaving her more and more on her own and feeling worse and worse. Just before the call to the worker Jade had come out of her room and angrily drawn on the wall in front of Brenda and broken a favourite vase Brenda had on display. She then dissolved in tears and fled to her room.
Jade has not seen her birth mother and has asked about her once. Her birth mother called three weeks ago demanding access with Jade. She was asked to come to the office to talk about contact and her responsibilities in attending, but she became angry and hung up. The mobile number she left had been disconnected. She has not responded to letters sent to her last address although it has only been two weeks since one was sent.
Activity
You are preparing to write your first report on Jade. Obtain a copy of your agency’s quarterly report proforma. You may want to read quarterly reports prepared by other workers before starting this activity. Your supervisor can provide you with copies of reports.
What information would you include in your quarterly report under:
• the child
• attitude of birth parent to placement
• access
• adjustment to placement?
Remember to use reflective practice

74 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Experience
Facts
Reflection
Meaning
Conceptualisation
Hypothesis
Active experimentation
To do
Write a paragraph for one section of the report on Jade.
Discuss with your supervisor

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 75
Case planning reports
While you are supervising a placement, the department will schedule a case planning meeting as required by the
Children and Young Persons Act 1989 (CYPA). Generally, the permanent care worker or case manager and the permanent care family attend, and the birth family is invited and encouraged to attend. The child may attend depending on their age and circumstances.
Activity
Refer to your notes on observation of a case planning meeting. Now that you are to prepare for a case planning meeting are there any issues you wish to discuss with your supervisor?
The permanent care worker has responsibility for the complex task of preparing all parties for the case planning meeting.
Few permanent care parents fully understand departmental process or the role of the various parties present at the meeting. Although birth parents may have been involved in case planning for extended periods, there is no guarantee that they are prepared for the process. Birth and permanent care parents may be meeting for the first time. There may be hostility between the birth and permanent care families or difference of opinion with the department regarding issues like access or counselling for the child. The child may have issues regarding attending which need to be addressed, or an older child may have quite different wishes regarding the case plan than are likely to be approved. At times each party may feel that the other parties have too much influence on decision making and that the wrong decisions are being made. The worker generally is in a position to be aware of major issues relating to each party to the placement. Issues should be discussed with the departmental worker prior to the meeting.
Decisions made at the case planning meeting have a long term effect on the placement. Decision may include expectations regarding contact, whether therapy for the child should start or continue or whether a Permanent Care Order should be sought. It is the worker’s responsibility to understand the issues from all sides and to address them within the report and within the case planning forum. After the case planning meeting, it is the worker’s responsibility to insure that the case plan is followed.
The worker generally prepares a report for the case planning meeting which can be similar to the quarterly report but includes recommendations for work for the coming year. You should take notes regarding the decision of the case planning meeting and check at the end of the meeting whether your understanding of the decision is the same as that of the others at the meeting.
Activity
In the previous exercise you identified information to be included in the quarterly report for Jade and wrote a paragraph regarding one section of the report. Using the same case material, please make recommendations for the coming year’s case plan. Remember SMART case planning ( Section 3.2.2
of this learning guide).
Recommendation for case plan:
1
2
3
Discuss with your supervisor

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Guardianship review
Guardianship orders may be granted for one or two years, but are generally granted for one year. If an order is to be extended, an application must be made to the court (CYPA Section 107). Prior to the order expiring, the department will arrange a guardianship review meeting. The decision to extend guardianship is made at this meeting and the case plan for the coming year agreed upon. If it is decided that a Permanent Care Order will be sought and the requirements of the
CYPA for the Permanent Care Order are met, the decision may be to apply for the Extension of Guardianship Order and the
Permanent Care Order at the same time.
The worker has the responsibility to prepare the carers and the birth family for the court hearing. Although children over six do not have to appear at court, they must instruct a solicitor regarding their wishes. The worker must therefore prepare the child to meet with a solicitor independently of the carers and assist the permanent care parents understand the need for this to occur.
The worker prepares a report for the guardianship review meeting, generally using a format consistent with the required court report for extension of guardianship and part B of the Disposition Report for the Permanent Care Order (see Section
16 of the Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual ). Your supervisor can provide you with copies of reports if you wish to read a report prior to writing your first report.
Court processes can be complex and confusing. In consent matters the parties appear at Court and agree to the recommendations of the report. All other matters have a degree of uncertainty which can create anxiety if there is a contest. Carers and children often need reassurance of the intent and likely outcome of the process as the matter proceeds through court.
Summary
Supervision of placements ensures that the child’s situation is monitored and reviewed regularly to meet the duty of care expected of the guardian of the child. It is not possible to separate supervision of a placement from placement support.
At times, however, the two roles can be in conflict creating challenges for the worker.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 77
Learning goals
• To alert the new worker to the complexity of placement support.
• To provide strategies to address common issues in placement support.
• To provide understanding of child’s behaviour and techniques to assist the child.
Most children placed in permanent care bring many issues to placement that do not resolve easily and which may reappear periodically for many years. Permanent care parents face many challenges and are concerned that they will be able to access ongoing support to assist them create and maintain a responsive environment for the child. Ongoing support from the permanent care teams reflects the specific needs of parenting a non-biological child. Permanent care families are generally well motivated to provide for their children’s needs and seek a partnership with professionals to achieve what is best for the child.
Placement support is a service provided to children placed in permanent care and to their birth parents and permanent care parents to ensure that the child’s needs are addressed and that the support needs of carers and birth parents are met. Placement support encompasses a broad range of tasks which encourage an environment where the child can feel safe and where the child’s needs can be met. Support should be available following placement and after the Permanent
Care Order is granted.
In placement support the intent is to create and maintain a positive and nurturing environment where the child can grow and can address issues from the past. We are working with the child on five levels. As progress is made in one level it will be reflected in other levels:
• building new relationships
• providing strategies for working with problem behaviours
• teaching new ways to express emotions and to get needs met
• minimising the trauma of moves
• developing understanding of past experience.
The most common causes for a child’s ‘bad behaviour’ are strong feelings for which there are no adequate or permissible means of expression. Many children need to be given permission to have feelings and parents need to be assisted in helping the child identify and express their feelings in appropriate ways. To encourage change, parents need to become aware of the reason behind the behaviour and to address those issues. The reason for using the behaviour is defined by
Vera Fahlberg as the ‘Island of Health’ because the behaviour initially assisted the child to survive.
Placement support for the permanent care parent starts with the relationship built through the assessment process. For the child it starts with the work begun during preparation for placement. For the birth parent it begins when the child is case planned for permanent care.
Resources
Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual , Section 20, pp. 139–140.
Section 4.1: Child Development, Section 4.2: Effect of abuse and neglect on children and Section 4.3 Attachment-trauma problems in Children, in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide .
The Impact of Trauma on Children and How Adoptive and Foster Families Can Help Them, Real to Real – Dan Hughes; a video conversation (video), 2000, Family Futures Consortium, London
Fahlberg, V., 1994, A Child’s Journey through Placement , BAAF, London.
Keck, G. C. & Kupecky, R. M., 1995, Adopting the Hurt Child , Pinon Press, Colorado Springs.
James, B., 1994, Handbookfor Treatment of Attachment-Trauma Problems in Children , The Free Press, New York.
Delaney, R. J. & Kunstal, F., 1993, Troubled Transplants , Horsetooth Press, Ft Collins, Co.
Macaskill, C., 1993, Adoption or Fostering the Sexually Abused Child, B T Batsford, London.

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When children move into permanent care they experience significant changes in all aspects of their lives. There is nothing that is truly familiar. Visiting the new home and meeting the family a few times before placement does not eliminate the stress and confusion of the move itself. Many children do not understand the new situation prior to being emersed in it.
Children are confused and under stress even when they seem to be coping. They are both fearful and excited.
New parents also experience doubts and fears. They are wondering how the child will change their lives. If they do not have children or have had little experience with children they will question how they will succeed as parents. Will they be good enough? Will the child relate to them? What will change in their lives?
It is unusual for a permanent care parents to feel truly entitled to be the parents of the child when the child first moves to their home. Establishing that entitlement is one of the tasks of the first year of placement. At the point of the move, there are foster parents who will generally be perceived as having succeeded with the child, and the birth parents whom the new parents will often consider, on an emotional level, to have a right to parent the child no matter what the reasons for the child coming into care.
Added to this is the expectation of the department and the permanent care agency that the permanent carer will provide a therapeutic environment for the child. The permanent care parents are aware that they have relatively little training to provide that environment and they may also have sought the care of the child for substantially different personal reasons.
They want a son or daughter, not a project. Workers want the child to become a son or daughter to the parents while also anticipating that the parents can provide the environment needed to assist the child address problems. All are aware that the child may bring serious problems to the family as the child struggles to find a way to understand the past and move forward. Parents can know there will be problems but, until experienced, cannot understand the effect on themselves or on the child. They face many challenges and will need support and guidance.
Placement support is crucial and during the first year support is most often intense. It may taper off as the initial adjustments are made, but the need for more intense work often resurfaces periodically as the child moves through stages of development and begins to address issues. It can be difficult to find services that understand and can meet the needs of these children.
A worker has the task of supporting the placement and assisting the parents to identify the issues in a child’s behaviour.
Workers can help families develop strategies to overcome the child’s resistance to learning new behaviour and appropriate ways of relating to others. A worker needs to listen to the family and to be clear about roles and boundaries to be effective in the multiple tasks of placement support
Warning! A worker cannot substitute for a therapist for the child when therapy is needed. The worker must be able to assess what kind of therapy is needed and assist the permanent care parents in obtaining it.
Every permanent care placement is supervised for at least one year until the Permanent Care Order is obtained. Prior to the order being made, the worker is generally case manager for the family. Case management involves coordination of services and involvement in decision making. In many placements the worker may be called upon to work with all parties to the placement: child, carers and birth family. The worker will be called upon to balance the needs of each party in a situation where individual needs may be incompatible with the needs of others. The worker must place the needs of the child first. The issues which arise can be stressful to manage.
Workers may experience periods of doubt in their ability to support a placement. Those doubts can influence the course of the support offered. Too many doubts may encourage workers to stick to practical tasks rather than address underlying issues with the child, the carers and the birth family. Where you have concerns you should discuss them with your supervisor.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 79
Jade has now lived with Mark and Brenda for three months. When she came she was a very quiet child who tried to do everything she was told even if she did not know how. She retreated to her room frequently. Brenda and Mark could see no reason for her withdrawal. They generally gave her ten to thirty minutes on her own and went in and tried to entice her to come out. Brenda and Mark felt that it was rather like a game, but they did not know the rules. Sometimes Jade would come out but continued interaction had to be initiated by the parents. Her face often was a blank and they had difficulty reading her response. They were having trouble engaging her verbally and Brenda felt that she was lecturing
Jade about her feelings without any recognition on Jade’s part that she shared that view of her feelings.
Brenda and Mark were anxious to please Jade and tried to do things that would make a little girl happy. Jade took part but without animation. They spoke with the foster mother who said she was like that and not to worry as it was Jade’s personality.
Jade seemed to fade into the woodwork at school and the teachers often had little impression of what she had been like during the day when Brenda asked after school. There were at least three occasions, however, when it was reported that
Jade had ripped paintings off the wall in her classroom. She did not seem to have friends and another child reported that Jade punched her and pulled her hair when she was chosen to play a game over Jade.
After two months, Brenda and Mark, in consultation with the worker, decided they would invite Jade out of her room and advise her that if she did not come they would take her to an activity but would not discuss why with her. Jade would not come out when invited and became a limp doll when they moved her to an activity. Although she joined the activity, the parents were quite distressed at her behaviour. They found they were leaving her alone more and more and feeling worse and worse. Just before the call to the worker Jade had come out of her room and angrily drawn on the wall in front of Brenda and broken a favourite vase Brenda had on display. She then dissolved in tears and fled to her room.
Activity
Reflect on what you might feel if you received this call.
What is your first impression?
What do you want to do?

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Most workers would feel a bit overwhelmed in this situation. Can you identify any personal issues which might affect your work with this family?
Discuss with your supervisor.
2
3
4
Although you may feel overwhelmed by the problems young children present in care, you have strengths and knowledge to draw on to address problems. You can place yourself in the child’s position and identify some of the feelings Jade is experiencing in her new home. You can place yourself in the parents’ position and think about how they are feeling. You can acknowledge their feelings and talk with Jade and her new parents about their feelings. You can involve Jade in activities which encourage her to express feelings she cannot identify.
Activity
What resources do you bring to this placement?
1
It may help to define your role with the family. Many workers start from the premise that they must help and initiate change. This can lead to a situation where you tell families what to do. It is better to think of your role as a facilitator of change. You can help a family track changes a child makes, even if they are small changes, and you can help a family see the progress they are making. Often your most important role is to listen to the family and allow them to explore their feelings themselves.
In any family, parents and children can get struck in their own interactions. As an outsider you have the capacity to recognise that more of the same will not work and to provide a fresh point of view. You are in a position to reframe what the parents are trying to accomplish with the child and to draw on the ‘island of health’ within each person. You are both a support and a resource for the family and you can prevent the parents from becoming discouraged.
Two issues stand out regarding working with parents while supporting the placement; the first is the parents’ entitlement to parent and the second is learning to use the arousal relaxation cycle to effectively re-parent. Entitlement and use of the arousal relaxation cycle helps build a trusting relationship.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 81
Entitlement
Many children in permanent care are unable to give back to the parent sufficiently to give the parent emotional satisfaction and the sense that they are successful parents raising successful children. The children are demanding, emotionally aloof, and unresponsive, and continuing to nurture when there is insufficient return is difficult. Children endeavour to recreate the situation of their birth family leaving the new parent alarmed at their own reaction and often frustrated and angry. This attacks their confidence to be parents and attacks their sense that they have both the right and the ability to parent the child. If parents bring personal issues such as unresolved infertility or other issues to the placement, their feeling of entitlement to parent may be further undermined.
Building a sense of entitlement to be a parent to the child is important to the success of the placement. Entitlement gives the new parent the right to be the child’s parent and supports competence to be that parent. Every parent raising a child with emotional problems will experience periods where feelings of failure overtake good judgment. Feeling entitled to parent is an important element of keeping going when all seems to be failing.
Use of the arousal relaxation cycle to build a trusting relationship
Many children in permanent care have not had their needs adequately met in the first year of life. They have not learned to trust and often believe they cannot be loved and accepted. They have not experienced the security of acceptance after distress (arousal) and the experience of trusting that their needs will be met. Much of the permanent care parents’ work is to provide children with the security that their needs will be met in order that they can form a trusting attachment to their carers. (Review Section 4.1: Child development and Section 4.3: Attachment trauma problems in children .)
The child is most ready to accept the parent and to build a trusting relationship at the point of relaxation after a period of emotional arousal. As with an infant, the new parent’s trusting relationship is built through repeated connections with the child at the point of relaxation in an environment that provides safety, consistency and security.
Unfortunately, it is often extremely difficult for parents to respond with the support and care needed immediately after a child has performed in ways that assault the parent. Practice and training is needed before a parent can be accepting and empathetic following moments of high tension. It is not enough to understand the need; the parent must learn ways to control their emotions before they can achieve the desired results. The worker can assist parents both with techniques and with release for tensions which can build up in the day-to-day care of the child.
Prior to placement you will have recommended that the family maintain the child’s routine and move into their new family routine gradually. You will have spoken with the parents about setting out the rules in the family and the need to be demanding of acceptable behaviour from the beginning of placement. You will have talked with them about identifying for the child how the family shows affection, sets limits and has fun. You will have spoken with the child about the move and assisted the child acknowledge the losses she or he is experiencing. Perhaps you will have given the child tasks to find out how the new family works. This is the background for current work.
Your family or child will tell you where to begin. The parents are likely to ask directly or to express discomfort with particular behaviours, whereas the child is likely to let you know behaviourally that something is going on. If you are not confident of where to start, listen and talk with the family and your supervisor.

82 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
Return to the case material in this section. Before completing this activity, refresh your assessment of Jade’s developmental ages.
Figure 3.3
Appearance
• Tall
• Looks young
• Poor muscle tone
• Preferred dress seems incongruous with age
• Developmental age
School performance
• Short attention span
• Attention seeking
• Not reading
• Poor comprehension of what's expected
• Repeated prep
• Development age
1⁄
2
Friends
• No special friends
• Plays beside others
• Take things from others
• Frequently agressive if not getting her way
• Developmental age
Sexual knowledge
• Direct sexual experience
• Sexually provocative behaviour
• Fear of men
• Developmental age
Adults
• Clingy
• Demanding
• Follows adults around
• Seeks attention
• Volatile
• Controlling
• Developmental age
Hygiene
• Needs assistance to bath
• Can dress self but refuses to frequently
• Not cooperate with general Ł care like hair combing & teeth
• Many toileting accidents
• Developmental age

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 83
Activity
Where would you begin work with this family?
Complete the following based on the case study.
Experience
Facts
Reflection
Meaning
Conceptualisation
Hypothesis
Active experimentation
To do
You might include the following.
Fact:
• Jade is a quiet compliant child.
• Jade does not give emotional responses.
• Parents support withdrawal by leaving her 10–30 minutes.
• Jade occasionally strikes out in anger.
• Brenda is drawn in by Jade’s passivity.
• Parents’ withdrawal from Jade leads to outburst.
Reflection:
• Jade engages by disengaging.
• Jade does not have adequate means to express emotions.
• Jade withdraws more when others withdraw.
• Outbursts occur when she feels too disengaged.
Conceptualisation:
• Jade is seeking to protect herself from strong feelings by cutting them off and closing down.
• Brenda has become too ready to express Jade’s feeling without incorporating opportunity for Jade to identify her feelings.
• Jade may not be able to identify her feelings.
• Jade is reacting to the loss experienced during the recent and previous moves.
• Island of health : Jade is protecting herself through her withdrawal.

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Active experimentation:
• Reframe for the parents that Jade is protecting herself from strong feelings or, in Jade’s language, ‘bad’ feelings. Direct their discussion with Jade to focus on Jade’s protection of herself.
• Advise the family that Jade is afraid of not being able to protect herself and that her withdrawing makes those fears greater.
They are to ask Jade to sit with a parent during those times she has been going to her room, but they are not to talk about feelings.
• Set aside a time during the day to look at feeling faces which express different feelings and work with Jade to identify her different feelings.
Activity
You might decide to intervene differently. Define what you might do to tap Jade’s ‘island of health.’
Activity
Review Section 4.3: Attachment–trauma problems in children , Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide .
There are many well identified patterns of behaviour for children with emotional problems set out in a list of common behaviours experienced by children who have been hurt. It is a useful list to use with parents to identify the kinds of behaviours they are dealing with. It gives the worker a means of assessing the degree of disturbance of the child as well as assessing the parents’ confidence that the behaviours are recognised as part of the child’s problems. If the child has three or more of the behaviours, that child is experiencing a significant problem. Permanent care parents will need support to assist the child to develop more appropriate behaviour and expression of strong feelings.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 85
Common behaviours of children who have been hurt
Superficially engaging and charming
Lack of eye contact on parental terms. Eye contact is likely to occur when the child is lying or wants something
Indiscriminate affection with strangers
Not affectionate on parental terms. Seeks affection on own terms
Destructive to self, others, and material things; accident prone
Stealing
Lying about the obvious
Cruel to animals
Lack of impulse control
Behaviour that seems pointless and hyperactive
Learning lags and gaps
Lack of cause and effect thinking
Lack of conscience
Abnormal eating patterns
Poor peer relationships
Preoccupation with fire
Persistent conscience questions and incessant chatter
Inappropriate demanding and clinginess
Abnormal speech patterns
Sexual acting out
Intense need to be in control
None Some Often
Warning: When assessing problem behaviour, you must recognise age appropriate behaviour from problematic behaviour.
Refer to Section 4.1: Child development, of this learning guide.

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Resolution of grief
Children in care have experienced a number of significant losses in their lives. The child cannot say goodbye to past significant people until she or he has established a safe relationship in the new situation. The child must believe that the new parents are able to accept and handle his or her strong feelings before the child can express them. Much of the negative behaviour exhibited by children in care relates to inhibitions on mourning.
Even those children who have achieved a level of acceptance of the initial loss of birth parents will go through a grieving process after placement as they have experienced another loss. Mourning is not complete until children can accept that they have two sets of parents that are important to them. The child will mourn past losses after placement and will need the assistance of the permanent care parents to complete the process.
Hyperviligence
Many children in care are what is called ‘hyperviligent’. They are overly aware of the feelings of people around them and generally unaware of their own feelings. Their previous environment was too unsafe and they needed to be constantly alert to others to avoid danger. Hyperviligence is a survival technique which the child has learned out of necessity.
Living with a hyperviligent child is wearing. They are often described as sneaky, wary, watchful and manipulative, and tend to make those caring for them uncomfortable. If carers react to the behaviour, interaction invariably becomes tense and angry. Although it is difficult to see the Islands of Health, children became hyperviligent to protect themselves. These children need to learn better ways of protection. Recognising personal needs and feelings and learning how to ask to get needs met is the goal of treatment for these children. They need to learn that their new world is safe, consistent and secure.
Lying
Many children in care are chronic liars. The lies are often obvious and unlikely to be believed. The child is unlikely to be able to tell you why they are lying and there seems to be an assumption that ‘I will be in trouble if I do not come up with a story.’ Most parents want to trust their child but cannot when faced with persistent untruths.
Parents should not be conned into accepting the lie. Although it is suggested that the parent take a neutral stance and no issue be made of the lie, it is hard not to react. Parents need to avoid putting the children in the position where they can lie. It is better to state what is known, without asking the child to confirm it for that reduces the opportunity for the child to fabricate. The task is to eliminate the opportunity for lying and to teach the child better ways to avoid problems.
Control issues
When feeling out of control, most people try to put order into their lives and assume control over what is happening around them. They become increasingly distressed if they cannot achieve some control. Children are no exception. Most children who regularly get into control battles with their parents feel out of control themselves. They are seeking security in what they view as a hostile world and have not mastered the autonomy control developmental tasks that are usually completed in the second year of life. When a parent is not feeling confident, competent or entitled to be the parents it is easy for the parent to succumb to the control battle.
Every parent has to learn to get out and stay out of control battles. With children who have experienced neglect, abuse and disruption in care, the battles are more frequent and more devastating to the family. The art is to sidestep the battle and give the child a way of feeling in control without losing authority as a parent. Offering two choices that are acceptable to the parent may re-establish parental control. Using logical consequence may also assist. But the parent may need much practice to succeed.
Cause and effect thinking and conscience
Many children in care lack cause and effect thinking. Without that skill a child is seriously handicapped and cannot develop a conscience. The child will be unable to understand how to make choices which give control over their behaviour.
They will not understand that their behaviour relates to the consequence and may see that consequences are arbitrary and punishing if negative. If the consequences are positive they may be viewed as the result of successful manipulation of those around them.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 87
The lack of development of cause and effect thinking goes back to the first year of life. A child who has not experienced sequencing of events has not learned that one thing leads to a predictable next event. For example, a child may not have learned that feeling hungry leads to being fed. Normally children build upon sequences of events to understand that behaviour has a consequence and that they have choices about the consequences. A child in permanent care may lack the ability to sequence events and understand cause and effect.
When children lack cause and effect thinking, they need to learn about consequences and to learn to make choices about what will happen to them. Parents need to lead these children to make the choices, understanding that there will be a consequence. The parent cannot protect the child from the consequences of bad choices but can teach the child to consider consequences. This is, however, a slow process.
Development of conscience allows children to limit their own behaviour. Conscience is a late developmental process and relies on the child understanding sequences and wanting to be acceptable to significant others. Children in care often do not have the essential skills for conscience development. Workers need to assist parents to maintain realistic expectations and stay alert in order to provide outside guidance until their children have developed sufficiently to understand cause and effect and the importance of people to their wellbeing. It is only then that these children can start limiting their own behaviour.
The child’s challenging behaviours present particular issues for parents. We have already covered entitlement and the importance of using the arousal relaxation cycle to effect change. Two further areas will be covered which are discussed below.
Responding to the child at the child’s developmental level
It is difficult to observe a child in a big body and remember that she or he is often at a younger developmental age and at times needs to be treated as a younger child. When the child has precocious knowledge, parents will come across situations where the child expresses a level of knowledge inappropriate to the child’s age and the parents need to assist the child in expressing that knowledge more appropriately. The parent must learn to both demand age-appropriate behaviour and to accept the inappropriate behaviour without negative judgement.
Limit setting
Parents need to learn to set limits in ways that encourage the child to grow and learn. Most of the techniques of limit setting, often called discipline or punishment, work because of the relationship the child has with the parent. With children in care, it cannot be assume that there is a relationship or that the relationship that does exist is one where a positive connection with the parent will be of sufficient importance to the child to cause the child to respond to the limit. Many children in care survive by manipulating people around them to achieve their aim and there may be little relationship with or concern with the feelings of the people around them. Techniques which are based on separating the child from the parent and rely on this causing distress and the desire to get back with the parent, tend not to work with children who view relationships as threatening and prefer the safety of distance. The parents’ task is to draw these children in rather than exclude them.
Limit setting strategies that do not work
Deprivation: The child is already deprived. It is not possible to deprive the deprived without eliciting anger. The child does not have enough cause and effect thinking to identify his/her responsibility in creating the situation. Deprivation therefore has no teaching value for the child and anger inhibits learning.
Punishment: Punishment involves anger and is generally used by a parent who cannot control the situation or is out of control. Although it may provide relief for the parent, it has little or no capacity to teach a child. Frequently, children in care have experienced excessive punishment for unknown infractions. Not only is the effect of punishment limited by the child’s prior experience, but the child is able to read the parent’s anger. The child processes the anger not the learning the parents hope will occur through the punishment.

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Time out: Time out is heavily advocated in parenting courses as a means of achieving change in behaviour. It relies on the child wanting to get back with the parents. Where children prefer separation and the separation assists them avoid issues, time out is limited or fails.
More effective limiting techniques
Every worker needs to develop a number of possible limit setting techniques which draw the child to the carer. Those techniques generally include keeping the child and carer together to think about issues rather than sending the child away.
Some call this ‘time in’. Techniques include using logical consequences for learning and explaining the relationship of the consequence to the behaviour. They include providing the child with choices which limit opportunity to behave inappropriately or providing explanation of how to behave before situations which are unfortunate occur.
Activity
Devise four different strategies which might be used to set limits for Jade.
1
2
3
4
Discuss with your supervisor.
Children in care have a disproportionate incidence of organic problems which often affect their behaviour and their ability to learn. Organic factors include hearing and sight problems, ADHD, mental illness, learning disorders and foetal alcohol syndrome. Many children have a combination of problems and need a variety of services as they grow up. Organic problems effect the expectation for change in behaviour and development of a child and need diagnosis and treatment.
Ongoing placement support includes birth parents. Birth parents, although frequently difficult to engage, have specific support needs. Their needs include accepting that their children will be raised by another and addressing personal issues which impact on their relationships with their children and permanent care parents. Achieving constructive contact which meets the child’s needs, builds a relationship with the birth parent and gives the child permission to be in the new family is the goal of work with the birth parents.
Activity
Read:
Section 3.4: Birth parents of permanent care children , and Section 4.5: Contact in the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
O’Neill, C., 1999, Support and Permanent Placement of Children , Chapter 5 (available in the supplement to the Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide )
There will be many opportunities to review and revise your strategies for work with families and children. The strategies used and how they are implemented is to a great extent dependent on the family and the child. The parents must develop comfort with techniques they are using and be willing to look at the problems differently. You may find that you have considerable work to do to assist parents to look creatively for ways to assist the child to change and to use more flexible approaches which define behaviour not as bad but as purposeful.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 89
Learning goals
• To develop familiarity with the sections of permanent care manuals on legalisation of Permanent Care Orders.
• To provide basic understanding of the process which occurs at court
• To develop awareness of the complexities of court work.
Legalisation is both a legal and symbolic process that, for both the child and the permanent care parents, marks the child finally belonging to the permanent care family. The Permanent Care Order is tangible proof to the child and to the permanent care parents that the child is a member of the family. The child often expresses it as ‘now I cannot be sent back.’ Parents often talk of their feelings of security and being able to commit without reserve. The order gives the message that the child and the permanent care parents can fully attach and that the child will have a family for all time. The
Permanent Care Order transfers guardianship to the permanent care parents.
The granting of the order is the end of one phase of a placement and the beginning of another. Although the order is symbolic of commitment, it in itself does not resolve problems.
Resources
Children and Young Persons Act 1989, Sections 112 and 113.
Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual , Section 16 pp. 91 and 93–121.
Agency manual’s section of Permanent Care Order legalisation.
Sheehan, R., 2002, ‘The Marginalisation of children by the legal process’, Australian Social Work , March 2003 vol. 56, no. 1, pp 28–39.
Guide to Disposition Report Part B used by your agency.
The Department of Human Services Adoption and Permanent Care procedures manual contains a detailed section on legalisation. When preparing to legalise your first permanent care placement you must read Section 16 p. 91 and pp.
93–107 carefully to gain an overview of court process. Your supervisor will assist you in preparing for court.
Court processes are among the most complex aspects of work within the protective system. Until a worker has considerable experience in court, it is not expected that they will proceed to court on their own. This section of the learning guide is not designed to make you an expert on court appearances or on court procedure. It is designed to alert workers to some of the issues that may arise while obtaining a Permanent Care Order.
Most workers approach court with mixed feelings. Some approach with respect and understanding, others with respect and fear. Some people enjoy presenting evidence. Most have mixed feelings about the court.
Activity
What are your feelings about attending court? How are those feelings likely to impact on your approach to court? Are they likely to impact on your work with the birth and permanent care family?

90 Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide
There are a number of steps in applying to the Children’s Court of Victoria for a Permanent Care Order. Workers need to remain flexible as there are many possible variations in the process which must be addressed according to the needs of a particular case.
The basic steps are:
• Discussion with permanent carers regarding application for a Permanent Care Order. If the carers are not in agreement with applying for the order it cannot proceed. The order is made in their favour and presumes that they are consenting to becoming the guardians of the child.
• Discussion with the child
• Discussion with the birth parents
• Case planning decision to apply for the Permanent Care Order
• Protective Services applies to Court for the Permanent Care Order
• Preparation of Disposition Report Part B
• Prepare all parties for court: permanent care parents, child and birth family.
• Hearing scheduled
• Negotiations in court prior to the hearing. There is the possibility of adjournment, pre-hearing conference and possible change in access arrangements.
• Hearing and Order granted
Orders are granted at Children’s Court by consent (this includes by consent after negotiation at the court) or after contest.
In consent matters all parties agree on the order and its conditions. The case is scheduled for a specific time and the permanent care family attends generally with the child. Some birth families also elect to attend.
You cannot be absolutely certain that any matter will go through by consent. Birth parents may decide to re-negotiate contact or contest the order any time before the hearing. If they do this, you will be involved in negotiation at court and perhaps in a pre-hearing conference and a contested hearing. Court contests are rare, but when they occur, they create much anxiety for the carers, the child and the worker.
By the time you get to court for a Permanent Care Order, the reasons for the order should be clear and there should be evidence to support the order as being in the interests of the child. If there is a sound basis for the order and the case is properly prepared, the court is likely to grant the order.
The decision to apply for a Permanent Care Order is a case planning decision. A Permanent Care Order may be applied for if the child has been out of the parents’ care for two years or two out of the last three years. The child must have been in the care of the permanent care parents for a substantial time, generally a period of not less than one year. The court cannot make the order unless certain conditions are met. Those conditions are set out in Section 112 of the Children and
Young Persons Act 1989 (CYPA).
The court must receive a Disposition Report from the Department of Human Services. The permanent care worker is responsible for Section B of that report. This section covers the permanent care family and child’s adjustment in their care, and the birth parents’ attitudes toward the placement. The Act requires that access be addressed in the order. Access arrangements are generally confirmed at the case planning meeting. The principles of case planning apply to the decision for a Permanent Care Order. The decision is the end point of a long process for the child and the birth family.

Adoption and Permanent Care learning guide 91
Prior to the case planning meeting the worker will have discussed applying for the order, with the carers, the child and the birth parents (unless the birth parents cannot be located). The worker will have explained the meaning of the order to all parties and discussed access arrangements. The worker will have advised the birth family of their right to disagree and of the availability of legal representation. The permanent care parents will have been advised of the need for child to be represented if the child is over six years of age.
Following the decision to apply for the order, the worker will advise all parties of the process. The worker will facilitate the obtaining of independent legal representation for the child and advise the carers of issues that arise as the case is prepared for court. Many birth parents are in agreement with the decision and the worker will coordinate attendance at court according to their wishes.
Where parents are not in agreement with the decision or are unavailable, the work with the birth parents is often less straightforward. If the parents have lost contact with the community service organisation (CSO) or the Department of
Human Services and cannot be located, the permanent care worker and protective services worker must decide on action that needs to be taken to search for the birth parents and notify them of the application before the court. If the birth parents are available, they must be advised of the decision, its meaning and their rights to contest the application. They must be notified in writing of the hearing time and date and every reasonable effort must be made to involve them in the process. All this can take considerable time but if not completed prior to the hearing date, an adjournment is likely to provide time to seek out the family or to send a letter from the court to the parents’ last known address.
At times you may feel that you are performing tasks that obstruct what you are trying to achieve for the child, but a decision to transfer guardianship to the permanent care parents is a serious matter, not to be taken without opportunity for the birth parents to state their views.
Children over the age of six years are entitled to have their own legal representation. They are considered able to instruct a solicitor regarding their wishes and will need to speak to a solicitor prior to the court hearing. The solicitor speaks on behalf of the child at the Children’s Court hearing, and expresses the child’s wishes. This is different from representing the ‘best interests’ of the child, which is the role of the child’s solicitor in the Family Court. Permanent care parents are often confused by this difference, and in situations where the child disagrees with the recommendations of the department or the wishes of the permanent care parents, many issues within the family must be addressed. Many permanent care parents are very concerned about the child being separately represented and need a clear explanation of this requirement.
The Department of Human Services Protective Services and the birth parent(s) are represented in all permanent care matters before the Children’s Court. Except in very unusual circumstances, the permanent care worker is not represented nor is the permanent care family. There is the assumption that the permanent care worker and the department are in agreement regarding the child and the department’s solicitor conveys that view to the court. Often there are matters to resolve at court before the hearing. Although you might like to negotiate directly with the birth parents to resolve differences, protocol at court requires that you work through solicitors representing the parties and not speak directly to the birth parent or to any other legal representative involved.
If you have prepared for the case planning meeting or the guardianship review meeting with the goal of applying for the
Permanent Care Order, the major part of Part II of the Disposition Report will be written. Your supervisor will provide you with your agency’s format for the report. Outlines are contained in the Department of Human Services Adoption and
Permanent Care procedures manual and in agency manuals.

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Problems with Jade came to a head four months into the placement. Brenda and Mark were advised that it was time to obtain a psychological assessment with a view to treatment. It was emphasised that Jade was a child with considerable problems and that they would need to learn ways to draw her out of herself for a relationship to develop with them.
Jade’s aggressiveness was praised as an island of health in an otherwise withdrawn child. It was pointed out that Jade’s explosion came when she seemed to feel more isolated by Brenda and Mark and that it was a sign that she was forming an attachment to them, no matter how fragile.
An assessment was arranged. The psychologist spent considerable time with Mark and Brenda assessing Jade’s behaviour in the home. She defined the behaviour as considerably more oppositional than Brenda and Mark did. Jade’s retreat to her room was often in defiance of requests to cooperate. Many control issues were identified. Jade wanted
Brenda to come to her on her demand and it became evident that she manipulated by destroying property if Brenda did not stop what she was doing and come to Jade’s room. Jade kept both Brenda and Mark involved and safely distant through her behaviour.
Mark and Brenda had felt reasonably confident to be parents as they started the placement but their confidence eroded without positive response from Jade. At this point they did not feel entitled to be her parents and doubted whether they should have taken on a child so withdrawn. Brenda felt that she could not have a life of her own but attributed her feelings totally to adjustment to being a parent. Mark felt himself withdrawing and was trying to fight it but found moments of discouragement were getting greater.
The psychologist assessed Jade as a child with moderate to severe attachment disorder with oppositional tendencies and passive–aggressive behaviour. She agreed with Mark and Brenda that it was necessary to engage Jade and build their relationship, pointing out that Jade relied too much on herself but that she moved to engage them if they withdrew too long. Although this might be motivated as much from need to control as from attachment, it was also a good sign for the future.
Jade and her parents entered therapy immediately, Mark and Brenda being enthusiastic about learning skills to be effective parents to Jade. They showed considerable relief to discover that they were not failing their child but that Jade was repeating survival skills from her past.
Progress has been made in therapy. Brenda and Mark have not had an easy time but are committed to Jade. They have become more structured with her and are taking more control in demanding she not withdraw and manipulate them through withdrawal. They have noted their tendency to argue with each other over Jade and are addressing that problem. Jade is making slow progress and her connection to the family is tenuous, at best, after nine months of therapy. She seems sad most of the time and still expresses her anger in explosive outbursts when she believes she is thwarted.
It is believed that the Permanent Care Order should be obtained to reinforce to Jade that she is going to remain in the family.
Jade’s birth mother continues to call periodically demanding a visit but the agency seldom has a way of contacting her to make arrangements. She states she is committed to visiting Jade but the two times contact has been attempted she called with flimsy excuses or did not appear. Jade did not express disappointment when her mother did not come. She looked sullen and refused to speak when asked about her birth mother and about contact. Her birth mother has indicated that she wants access six times a year. She says it is her right to have it and has refused to talk about the effect on Jade when she has failed to attend. She has advised she will agree to the placement if she gets the access she wants. Brenda and Mark do not want to prepare for contact and have Jade let down. They agreed to four meetings per year and letter and photo exchange at time of placement. They have said that they would normally be flexible but do not see the point when the birth mother fails to attend arranged access.

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Activity
Using the case material, write the section of the Disposition Report setting out the birth parent’s wishes, access and your recommendation regarding access. You will need to take into account the birth mother’s wishes, her ability to be consistent, Jade’s needs, Brenda and Mark’s understanding and needs, and the point in therapy. Be prepared to argue your recommendation.
The birth parent’s wishes:
Recommendation for access:
Discuss why you have made your recommendations with your supervisor or in a team meeting with other workers.
Protective Services has the responsibility for preparing the case for court. Your status is a witness, but you will be working closely with Protective Services in preparation for court. You hold the evidence that the placement is in the child’s interests, a key requirement of Section 112 of the CYPA. Your report provides much of the information to meet the criteria set out in Section 112 of the Act. Your supervisor will assist you in preparation for court and discuss the complexities likely to be encountered when attending Children’s Court.
Activity
If you have not already visited the court, arrange to attend with another worker. While you are at the court, arrange to observe a contested hearing while a witness is being cross-examined to familiarise yourself with that aspect of court work.
It is unlikely you will be called upon to give evidence in most permanent care hearings but there is the possibility of a contest. Observe how the department’s legal representative takes a witness through evidence. Observe the differences in the way the opposing legal representative approaches the witness. Discuss what you have learned with your supervisor.

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Court can be unpredictable. Some birth parents consent, understanding the intent of the order and the needs of the child.
Some disagree with the transfer of guardianship to the permanent care parents but do not contest for a variety of reasons.
Others indicate that they will not contest but change their minds after discussion with a solicitor at court. Others have the intent to contest whether they inform the worker or not. Where there has been a history of litigation, the Permanent Care
Order is generally contested. Whenever you go to court you must be prepared for surprises.
Prior to a case being heard, the birth parent that appears at court sees a solicitor. Frequently there is negotiation between the birth parent’s and department’s solicitors to gain agreement prior to being called into the hearing. You need to ensure that whatever is agreed can work in the particular case situation. For that reason you need to be clear on the bottom lines of negotiation prior to going to court and be prepared to seek solutions within those parameters. It is not helpful to gain consent for an order with conditions that cannot be met in practice.
Access
Access is the most frequently negotiated issue and is often used by solicitors to gain consent for the order. The birth parent is advised to agree to the order if more contact with the child is included in the order. From a case perspective, contact should be planned in the interests of the child rather than used as a negotiating tool. The birth parent needs to be aware of obligations to the child in contact and to be prepared to meet some of the child’s needs. The access arrangements included in the Permanent Care Order should be able to be operationalised. If it is not possible to make the contact successful, it should not be a part of the order.
Adjournments
Adjournments are frequent. In the Melbourne Children’s Court, cases are adjourned if the birth parent does not attend, no matter what has been done to notify the parent of the hearing. Adjournments are also inevitable if the parent decides to contest. Procedures in country courts are less predictable. Adjournments prolong the decision making and tend to raise anxiety for permanent care parents and children. You must be prepared to be flexible and to assist your carers to remain flexible and not take the changing ground personally. Workers need to be prepared to work with families to contain anxiety during unpredictable court processes.
Because of the many uncertainties and unexpected developments, your supervisor should accompany you to court and guide you through the process until you are familiar with court processes and have refined your negotiation skills with solicitors.
You have appeared at court on the appointed day. The birth mother has demanded more access than the carers are prepared for and has given no assurance of commitment to regular contact. You, the protective worker, and the carers have agreed that access can occur up to four times a year with the provision that the birth mother commits herself to attending regularly prior to an access being arranged. The understanding is that the access will be discussed with the birth mother prior to arranging the first meeting and that she must show understanding of the need for regularity and make a commitment to contact.
Mandy (the birth mother) argues heavily that she should have eight contacts per year and that she has made the commitment by coming to court. She, however, arrived at Court at 11.15 am after the case had been called. You are pretty sure she is continuing to use drugs and you have no way of contacting her.

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Activity
Mandy is making a case for more contact. What are your bottom lines? What flexibility do you think you have?
Discuss with your supervisor.
The hearing itself can be an anti-climax. The solicitors will tell the court what has been agreed upon in pre-court discussion and the magistrate may ask a few questions before the order is granted. If the order is uncontested and the carers are present, the magistrate congratulates the carers, as you do afterwards. After the hearing you generally make a time to see the permanent care family to review the changes in placement support resulting from the order. If it is a contested hearing and the carers are not present you contact them as soon as possible and explain the outcome. Many families celebrate with the child and sometimes with the birth family after the order is granted.
After considerable negotiation at court, Mandy agrees through her solicitor to see the worker to discuss her commitment to contact. She agrees to four contacts a year with the possibility of two more by mutual agreement if the four contacts become regular and positive for Jade.
Activity
Do you agree with the access arrangements agreed to in this matter?
Your next task is to negotiate ongoing placement support with the carers. The form the support will take varies with the circumstances of the situation. You may continue to see some families regularly and provide similar services to those carried out prior to the order being made. Others will call you on an as-needed basis. Placement support from this point is voluntary but for most permanent care parents services are a necessary part of their ongoing care of the child.
The order is granted and the family receives a Permanent Care Certificate signed by the Children’s Court magistrate who granted the order. The certificate is evidence of the new security in care for the child and for the permanent care parents.
The child is a member of the family and no further moves are contemplated. For many children the certificate assumes great significance. It symbolises belonging and needs to be visually available to the child; framed and displayed or a part of a sturdy and accessible life story book. Parents should be encouraged to refer to its permanency and to its symbols.