This service is available to any youth in the legal custody of county children and youth services, CYS. Child preparation is the intense preparation designed to assist children and youth in making the transition from foster care to the permanency option (reunification; adoption; permanent legal custody, PLC: kinship; or another planned permanent living arrangement, APPLA).
The preparation work with the children explores core issues of children and youth in out of home placement: grief and loss, abandonment, identity, control, loyalty, attachment and shame. It includes collaborative development of a written plan, with input from the identified child preparation team, and outlines the preparation activities conducted through a minimum of 10 meetings with the child or your over six months. It requires highly skilled and qualified affiliate staff using techniques such as the life book, timelines, genograms and support through individual intervention or preparation groups.
This service is child and older youth focused and driven, used in hopes of preventing placement disruption, reducing the time to reach the permanency goal or finalization and providing youth with insights and positive connections to increase their success after leaving placement. The goals of child preparation are to “Give Children a Voice”, “Honor Children’s Past,” “Answer the Question, “ “Create Connections” and “Look to the Future.” Referrals are made by the county and must be certified by the county. Certification indicated the work is completed to the county’s satisfaction.
