The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-89) mandated shortened timelines for achieving permanency for children in foster care. To meet these timelines, many States have identified concurrent planning as a recognized or required practice for achieving permanency. Approximately 38 States and the District of Columbia have statutes that address the issue of concurrent planning. The language in these statutes and regulations ranges from general statements that simply authorize concurrent planning activity to statutes that provide, in some detail, the elements that must be included when making a concurrent permanency plan.
This state-by-state publication describes the statutes and regulations that relate to concurrent planning in each state.
To read the full report, click here.