1201 Child Placement Services

C. Participants in the Action Team Review

The Permanency Planning Action Team shall provide an unbiased, objective, and thorough review of all elements of a child’s placement in foster care and the agency’s plan for the child’s future. To ensure that the nature of the action team is objective, it shall be conducted by a team which includes at least one person who does not have responsibility for services to the child or his family, and no responsibility for case management. Participants who shall be invited to the Permanency Planning Action Team include (but are not limited to) the following:

• the child’s parent(s), unless parental rights have been terminated;
• the child; Counties shall ensure that in any hearing or review the child shall be consulted in an age appropriate manner about any permanency plans for the child.
• the foster parents/caregivers/adoptive parents;
• community resource persons, at least one of whom is not responsible for the case management or delivery of services to the child or parents; and
• the Guardian ad Litem.

Parents have the right to participate fully in every review of their child’s case by a Permanency Planning Action Team and are considered to be members of the team. They shall receive adequate notice of the meetings. They shall also be informed that they have the right to present information from their perspective. Every effort should be made to meet at a time and location that enables parental attendance.

The agency must notify the parent(s) of:

• their right to attend and the opportunity to be heard at the action team meetings;
• The dates and locations of the meetings; and
• The right to have their attorneys with them at these meetings.

Notification to parents and other required participants should be documented in the case record and signatures of all persons attending the action team meeting shall be recorded on the Family Services Agreement Review.

Children who are old enough and of sufficient maturity shall be invited to participate in reviews of their cases. Decisions made at Permanency Planning Action Teams should be made “through the eyes of the child.” Children have no control over the decisions that are made for them by adults but these decisions have significant impact on their lives. The more agencies can empower children by including them in the decision-making process, the better those agencies serve them.

Foster parents and other caregivers have the most current and complete knowledge of the child’s adjustment in foster care. They play a vital role in the planning and decision-making regarding the child’s future. They should always be strongly urged to attend and participate fully in the case planning and review meetings.

By providing services to children and/or their families, community resource providers may have information essential to planning and decision-making. It is crucial to involve them in the planning and review process. The child’s teachers and/or guidance counselors should be included in this process. In addition, having at least one resource person who has no direct service or case management responsibilities to the case strengthens case decision-making. Not only does this provide for additional input into the child’s case, but an individual with no direct case responsibility is also better able to view the “big picture” objectively and make recommendations from the broader community perspective.

Likewise, the guardian ad litem for the child can bring a different perspective to the case review. Appointed by the Court, the GAL is charged to investigate the facts of the case and determine the needs of the child, as well as the resources available within the family and community to meet those needs. The guardian ad litem makes recommendations to the Court on behalf of the child. It is better to resolve differences in recommendations in the action team setting prior to court hearings. It is critically important for all members of the child’s team to work closely together in a unified effort on behalf of the child’s best interests.