August 31, 2009

Promising Practices in Concurrent Planning: Formal and Informal Communication Opportunities Between Workers

This brief is one of a series that provides descriptions of select practices identified through preliminary analysis of data from the study: Child Welfare Permanency Reforms. This study examined the implementation of concurrent planning in 6 California counties through focus groups and interviews with a variety of stakeholders in concurrent planning cases. Promising practices from several non-study counties and agencies with well-developed concurrent planning approaches were also examined. The practice approach described represents work conducted in one or more of the following county child welfare agencies: Contra Costa, Mendocino, Monterey, Placer, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, and Yolo counties, as well as the Foster Family Agency, Sierra Adoptions. This brief highlights the practice of providing formal and informal opportunities for communication between workers with different responsibilities on concurrent planning cases (e.g., court workers, continuing services workers, and placement or adoptions workers). Best practices for implementing structural, formal, and informal opportunities for intra-agency communication are discussed.