
Course Summary
In this course, you can expect to learn:
- The importance of permanency in the life of a foster youth
- How young people in foster care think about permanency
- The different types of permanent relationships and understand their roles
- The difference between positive and negative supports
- Several ways a transitioning youth could benefit from the support of an adult
- How to brainstorm a list of prospective Permanency Pact adults
- How to access and create a Permanency Pact
- Permanency comes with responsibility from all people involved – including the youth
Step 1
Watch the video, What Does Permanency Mean?, developed by Nebraska Children and Families Foundation to gain insight into what permanency means to foster youth:

Step 2
Review the Associate Commissioner of the Children’s Bureau’s interview regarding permanency with a FosterClub Young Leader - Amber Finet - from the Children’s Bureau Express.

Step 3
Review the FosterClub Permanency Pact. The Pact is designed to help foster youth identify supportive adult connections which will continue to provide positive supports through and beyond the transition from care. As a foster parent, you can introduce a young person to this tool and help them identify those continuing supports in an effort to build a strong support network.

Step 4
Watch and read how the Juvenile Law Center in Pennsylvania and its "Youth Fostering Change" program developed a "youth-perspective" toolkit for child welfare professionals that helps youth in care achieve permanency.

Step 5
Review the following post written about the Permanency Pact by an Independent Living Outreach Specialist at Children’s Aid Society, Ebone Watkins.

Step 6
Review the article, "Legal and Relational Permanence in Older Foster Care Youths", from Social Work Today.

Step 7
Join the discussion in the comments below to answer the following question:
How would you explain permanence to your foster youth?
Course Discussion
Rick Daniel said: