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July/August 2005Vol. 6, No. 6Permanency for Youth Toolbox

A toolkit is now available that offers practical strategies and promising practices for agencies seeking permanent homes for adolescents and youth in out-of-home care. The overarching approach is based on a permanency assessment that includes all the youth's current relationships and all possible pathways to permanency. An array of permanency options is discussed—including family preservation, reunification, legal guardianship, kinship care, and customary adoption in tribes—recognizing that the best permanency solution may be different for each youth. In addition, the toolbox describes a variety of techniques for supporting permanency, including:

  • Mentoring programs
  • Lifebooks
  • Youth leadership organizations and councils
  • Newsletters
  • Appreciative inquiry
  • Person-centered planning approaches
  • Family group conferencing

Appendixes to the toolbox offer additional practical resources and models for permanency planning for youth. Toolbox No. 3: Facilitating Permanency for Youth, by G. P. Mallon, can be purchased from CWLA Press at www.cwla.org/pubs/pubdetails.asp?PUBID=0043.