Credit hours:
3.00

Course Summary

For a young person in foster care, having permanence means stability and reliable, supportive lifelong connections. All youth in foster care need it. Understanding permanency and the Permanency Pact described in this course can give you confidence as you guide youth in your care towards building and strengthening relationships with supportive people in their life.

In this course, you can expect to learn:

  • The importance of permanency for youth in care

  • How young people in foster care think about permanency

  • The different types of permanent relationships and their roles in the lives of youth in care

  • 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

  • The importance of understanding that permanency comes with responsibility from all people involved – including youth

Step 1

Watch the video "What Does Permanency Mean?" developed by Nebraska Children and Families Foundation to better understand what permanency means to foster youth.

Step 2

Meet the Lived Experience Leaders involved in the ACF’s All-In Youth Engagement Team, and learn from their expertise about what they would like to see for permanency in the foster care system.  Then review the All-In Youth Engagement Team’s  “Recommendations for Improving Permanency and Well-Being.”

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 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?

Step 8

Finished the module? If you are logged in as a subscribed user, take the quiz to earn your Continuing Education Credit hours and certificate!

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Course Discussion

Nplummer1's picture
1 year 11 months ago

Nplummer1 said:

How would you explain permanence to your foster youth? Being that I was a foster child.. i would explaining it to be kids is having a place to called home after you age out of the system or being adopted. its simple its home no matter where you go or how far you go there is a place that will always feel like home. I'm thankful that at the age of 30 i still have a place that is home
Sunnysar's picture
2 years 6 days ago

Sunnysar said:

Permanency is a feeling more than exact definitions. I think the sense of belonging is the key piece- and you can have more than one supportive adult who makes you feel like you belong.
KMorse19's picture
2 years 2 weeks ago

KMorse19 said:

When talking about permanency with foster youth between 14 and older I always stress to them it's planning where they will be in the future, who they will go to in future. Like for holidays, breaks from school, to visit, help on their first big purchase. I ask them who and what does that team look like to them.
epowell's picture
2 years 3 weeks ago

epowell said:

My children and I are very open in my home. I love to hear there story and they can't wait to hear mines. When the time is right I will have that particular talk. Thanks for the info.
chris.simpson08's picture
2 years 1 month ago

chris.simpson08 said:

I would explain permanency to them by letting them know that they won't have to go anywhere else or back home. They call us mommy and daddy so I would say you are going to get to stay with mommy and daddy forever!
chris.simpson08's picture
2 years 1 month ago

chris.simpson08 said:

I would explain permanency to them by letting them know that they won't have to go anywhere else or back home. They call us mommy and daddy so I would say you are going to get to stay with mommy and daddy forever!
pcmiller1689@gmail.com's picture
2 years 1 month ago

[email protected] said:

Making a commitment to a youth to be a supportive adult in their life for the rest of their life.
ktrickel's picture
2 years 2 months ago

ktrickel said:

Having loving and supportive adults that you can call or come to about anything, whether they are bio, foster, adoptive or just someone the youth feels they can come to.
Joe Nichols's picture
2 years 3 months ago

Joe Nichols said:

My foster daughter is a toddler so i would describe permancy as never having to leave and being apart of our forever family.
tiamnichols's picture
2 years 3 months ago

tiamnichols said:

My foster youth is 2 years old so I would describe permanency to her as being in a forever family.