Join the Massachusetts Permanency Practice Alliance for a training that will be scheduled over three full day sessions. Content is based on the Plummer Youth Promise Intervention and Outcome Model. Three national best practices in permanency will be addressed in-depth in these interactive skill building sessions. Staff providing or supervising clinical and direct interventions with children, youth and families in both residential and community-based settings will gain valuable understanding of permanency best practices, core competencies, key strategies, and tools. This ZOOM training includes an innovative blend of lectures, small group exercises in breakout rooms, polling, video and demonstrated role play. Hands-on practice is encouraged and adapted to a virtual environment as is group brainstorming of creative approaches to challenging case situations.

Session One: Family Search and Engagement

A set of strategies and tools to persistently and continuously search for, identify, locate and authentically engage family and other caring adults to play a variety of roles in a youth’s life. Key concepts include a multi-layered approach to outreach, the role of apology and gratitude in authentic engagement, and including people for what they can contribute to a youth’s life not excluding them for what they can’t contribute.

Session Two: Youth-Guided, Family-Driven Teaming

A collaborative teaming approach that blends permanency decision-making with safety and well-being and prioritizes youth, parent and family voice and participation. Youth and family members come together with professionals to reach a permanency solution and plan for the supports needed to sustain a successful permanency outcome. Emphasis is given to planning for “family and future” rather than an immediate focus on placement.

Session Three: Permanency Readiness for Youth and Parents/Families

A clinical process of clarifying past events and experiences and preparing youth to join family and integrate membership in multiple families. The session also addresses “what will it take?” for a parent to be ready to meet a youth’s needs, and make an unconditional, legal and lifelong family commitment. Relational strategies and practice tools will be shared that promote repair, rebuilding, attachment, belonging and claiming. Special consideration is given to a planful transition to living with family and identifying essential community supports.