|
Permanency
Planning Team (PPT) Meeting
Every
child who comes into the custody of CPS has a right to a safe and
nurturing permanent placement as soon as possible. Both Texas law
(Senate Bill 34) and the best interest of children dictate that a
permanent plan be finalized within a year of a child's placement by
CPS.
The
Children's Crisis Care Center Permanency Planning Program provides the
opportunity for the important people in each child's life to meet
regularly in order to plan and work towards the best permanency plan
for that child.
Convened by community professionals with expertise in child placing
and permanency planning, these Permanency Planning Teams (PPT) develop
and monitor the progress of the plans for the child and family.
Family
Conferencing - A New CPS Initiative for Permanency Planning
HCPS
– Children’s Crisis Care Center (4Cs) program has recently joined
with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to
launch a new Family Conferencing Initiative.
Family Conferencing is a decision making process that utilizes
the strengths of the family, the resources of the community and the
CPS agency to develop achievable, culturally-sensitive plans to ensure
child safety and well being.
It
is a voluntary activity where family members, family support systems,
service providers and the community gather to address the future of
the child.
Family
Conferencing recognizes that families have the strengths and desires
to protect their children within their family by sharing the
responsibility for children’s safety. This process acknowledges the
extended family’s knowledge and life-long attachments to the child
and offers community support to meet the family’s needs.
Family
Conferencing is being used nationally and internationally as a tool in
Child Welfare services and has proven to be extremely effective in
getting children out of foster care and into relative and kinship
placements.
In the Houston
District the feedback from families regarding the process has been
overwhelmingly positive.
|
Houston, Texas 77054
Early
Assessment/Intervention is Essential
Moving
Toward a Safe and Promising Future
The
Children's Crisis Care Center (4C's) a program of Harris County Protective Services
for Children and Adults (HCPS) provides services in
collaboration with: