Permanency Planning: An Overview

Most of the pioneering work in relation to permanency planning has been carried out in Oregon by the Regional Research Institute for Human Services and the State Children's Services Department. As the Oregon project has been documented in great detail in five excellent volumes:

• 1.

  Barriers to Planning for Children in Foster Care (1976) Regional Research Institute for Human Services Portland State University;

• 2.

  Overcoming Barriers for Children in Care, (Emlen et al. 1977);

• 3.

  Permanent Planning for Children in Foster Care: A Handbook for Social Workers (Pike et al.) 1977);

• 4.

  Permanent Planning in Foster Care: A Guide for Programme Planners (Dreyer, 1978);

• 5.

  Permanent Planning in Foster Care: Resources for Training (Downs &; Taylor, 1978);

and as the utilisation of the Oregon model has been encouraged by the allocation of federal funds to those States wishing to develop it for their own use, it seems appropriate to examine the model and its operation in some detail. Following this, efforts to develop permanency planning elsewhere will be examined and analysed.