Attempting to operationalize a multi-dimensional definition of permanency in child welfare practice: results from a demonstration project

ABSTRACT

Permanency has been a cornerstone concept in child welfare since the 1960s. Despite its endorsement as a best practice principle in promoting the wellbeing of children in child welfare care, debate persists about the key elements of the concept and their effects, particularly in relation to the emphasis on legal permanency when children in care cannot be reunited with their parents. This article describes results from a demonstration project using a Family Finding service model. It aimed to operationalize a multi-dimensional permanency definition where most of the children served were Indigenous.

KEYWORDS:

• Adoption
• child welfare
• foster care
• guardianship
• Indigenous
• permanency
• permanency planning

Acknowledgments

The author (who is not Indigenous) is thankful for the advice and assistance from Professor Brad McKenzie who evaluated the Bringing Families Together project and who provided considerable feedback throughout the writing of the manuscript. I am also thankful for the valuable advice received on a draft of this paper from a panel of four experts in child welfare who are Indigenous including: Wayne Helgason, Kenn Richard and Verla Umpherville. I thank all family members, administrators, consultants, and staff involved in the development of the permanency definition and its operationalization including representatives from the four Child and Family Services Authorities (i.e., General Authority, Metis Authority, First Nations of Northern Manitoba, First Nations of Southern Manitoba) that manage child and family services for over 11,000 kids throughout Manitoba, Deloitte Canada, and the Government of Manitoba. Finally, I thank Faith Goodman and Until the Last Child for funding the Innovation project under a multi-Stakeholder/multidisciplinary model – and for providing unwavering support. The project served 148 youth in care and achieved a 76% success rate over a 24-month period.

Notes

1. In Canada this term refers to the original inhabitants of the land; peoples of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples (Canadian Encyclopedia, 2019).

2. First Nations is a term that refers to Indigenous peoples in Canada who are not Métis or Inuit. There are 634 First Nations across Canada (Canadian Encyclopedia, 2019).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Philip Burge

Philip Burge PhD, RSW is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Queen's University, Kingston, Canada, and a Professor in programs (i.e., Social Service Work and, Mental Health and Addictions) at a community college in Toronto, Canada. His research focuses primarily on child welfare issues as well as intellectual disabilities. He was adopted as an infant and has been a mental health clinician working with many youth and adults who had received child welfare services.