Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Dec/Jan 2010Vol. 10, No. 10Voices From the 2008 National Convening on Youth Permanence

More than 30 youth and alumni from foster care attending the 2008 National Convening on Youth Permanence participated in an impromptu session facilitated by the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Family to Family Youth Engagement Team. The team was invited to meet with these young people and expand the discussion of their ideas and experiences around permanence.

Participants shared their experiences and provided recommendations about improving the foster care system. What concerned these young people the most were issues of trust; they felt unable to trust the concept and the process of permanency planning. Most youth also reported that they had not been included in the process of identifying permanent connections for themselves.

Youth recommended the following important steps in developing a trusting partnership:

  • Redefine permanence to include emotional connections.
  • Address the disparities in permanency outcomes for older youth and youth of color.
  • Continue the permanency search beyond emancipation.
  • Involve youth in planning for future Convenings.

To read the full Recommendations of Youth and Young Adults From the 2008 National Convening on Youth Permanence, visit:
 
www.youthpermanence.org/_pdf/materials/mat_2008/recommendations-of-youth.pdf (487 KB)