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Region VIII Youth Permanency Initiative

Sponsored by AdoptUsKids and the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning.

Initiated January, 2006; completed January, 2007.

Participating agencies:

• El Paso County, Colorado Department of Human Services, with support from the Colorado State Department of Human Services

• Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services

• Utah Department of Human Services, Division of Child & Family Services

• Wyoming Department of Family Services

Faculty representatives from:

• Young alumni of care

• AdoptUsKids

• National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice and Permanency Planning

• National Resource Center on Adoption

• National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues

• National Resource Center for Youth Development

• Massachusetts Department of Social Services

• Race Matters Consortium

Activities included:

• Three all-Initiative meetings

­ April 18-19, 2006, Denver, Colorado

­ September 25-26, 2006, Helena, Montana

­ January 18-19, 2007, Salt Lake City, Utah

• Monthly teleconference calls

• Extranet

Essential components:

• Framework for Practice developed by NRCFCPPP and Casey Family Services

• Active participation of young people as both team members and faculty

• Technical assistance available to participating teams from the Children’s Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network

• Use of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) method; small tests of change repeated in rapid succession leading to improved practice

PDSAs conducted in the areas of

• Identifying lasting connections

• Improving communication with young people in care

• Empowering young people to participate in the own permanency planning

• Engaging youth to participate in policy, planning, and community development activities

• Providing young people with tools to achieve

• Educating others about the importance of youth permanency

Major efforts related to the work of the Initiative

• Statewide youth convening

• Training curriculum for foster parents of adolescents

• Community engagement in opening doors to young people through employment, mentoring, etc.

• Development or expansion of youth advisory boards in several jurisdictions

Personal outcomes related to participation in the Initiative

• One young person, who thought she was “too old” to be adopted, will soon have her adoption finalized

• One young person was reunified with her birth mother and receiving support services

• Several adult team members reported gaining a new understanding of the need to help young people develop life skills in addition to, not in place of, pursuing permanent connections

• Lasting friendships formed

For more about the Region VIII Youth Permanency Initiative, see November 2006 and February 2007 editions of E-Notes, an electronic newsletter from AdoptUsKids, at . The AdoptUsKids website will be adding additional information about the Intiative in the coming months.

For more information on youth permanency from the NRCFCPPP, visit:



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