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Policy
Manual
COURTS
Superior Court For Juvenile Matters
Attachment to 46-3-22.1
Format for Study in Support of Permanency Plan and/or To Maintain/Revoke Commitment/Transfer Guardianship
In Re:
(name of child(ren), (DOB)
Superior
Court for Juvenile Matters at ___________________________________
Date:
[CHOOSE
APPROPRIATE TITLE]
Child
for Whom Motion is Filed:
·
Name
·
Address
·
DOB:
·
Legal Status
(OTC, committed)
·
Indian Tribe
(if applicable)
Mother:
·
Name
·
Address
·
DOB:
·
Prison
Identification Number:
·
Indian Tribe
(if applicable)
Father
of [child]:
·
Name
·
Address
·
DOB:
·
Prison
Identification Number:
·
Indian Tribe
Siblings
for whom motion is not filed:
·
Name (full
name)
·
Address
·
DOB:
·
Placement and
Legal Status
Reason
for Original Neglect Petition:
This
family has been involved with DCF since [year] due to issues of [state social
problems].
Procedural
History:
Give a
brief summary of the legal proceedings in the case to date, in chronological
order using dates and locations of courts.
Reasonable
Efforts and Compliance with Specific Steps:
On
[date] the following final specific steps were issued by the court for
[parent/s]: [List each specific
step that was ordered. Address DCF’s reasonable efforts to facilitate the step
and the parent(s)’ degree of compliance.
Be thorough. Use dates, times, names where appropriate. Address each
parent’s compliance separately. Also, be sure to specify if only one parent
was ordered to comply with the specific step.
(The following examples of information to include should be used as a
guide – there may be additional information that you will need to add specific
to your particular case.)]
·
Keep all
appointments set by or with DCF. Cooperate with DCF home visits, announced or
unannounced, and visits by the child(ren)’s court-appointed attorney and/or
guardian ad litem.
Appointments
with parent to discuss the child(ren)’s situation; whether the parent attended
any Administrative Case Reviews; number of home visits and level of cooperation
in gaining access to the home and the child(ren). (Appointments for specific services such as drug evaluations,
etc. should not be addressed here.)
·
Keep
whereabouts known to DCF and your attorney.
History
of transience, failure to inform DCF of present whereabouts, and what worker did
to locate parent(s).
·
Visit child(ren) as often as DCF permits and demonstrate appropriate parent/child
interaction during visits.
Supervised
or unsupervised and reason; visitation schedule; parent’s transportation;
frequency of missed visits; child(ren)’s reaction to visits or missed
visits; interaction between parent(s) and child(ren) during visits.
·
Participate
in counseling and make progress toward the identified treatment goals. Parenting
________; Individual __________; Family ____________
Include
parenting classes; counseling to address mental health issues, domestic
violence, anger management; and family counseling or attendance at counseling
with a spouse and/or child(ren).
Discuss
identified treatment goals; name and title of provider, presenting problem
service meant to address; description of service, including appropriateness,
frequency, level of intensity and participation requirements of parent(s);
compliance, including attendance, cooperation, acknowledgement of problem,
insight gained into problem, and progress made.
·
Accept and
cooperate with in-home support services referred by DCF, and make progress
toward the identified goals.
Includes
services such as parent aide, family preservation, visiting nurse service, etc.
Discuss
identified treatment goals; name and title of provider; presenting problem
service meant to address; description of service, including appropriateness,
frequency, level of intensity and participation requirements of parent(s);
compliance, including attendance, cooperation, acknowledgement of problem,
insight gained into problem; and progress made.
·
Submit to
substance abuse assessment and follow recommendations regarding treatment.
History
of addiction and type of substance, name of program, components of the
assessment, recommendations and referrals to appropriate treatment programs,
degree of compliance with recommendations.
·
Successfully
complete substance abuse treatment and follow recommendations regarding
aftercare treatment, including relapse prevention.
Specify
in-patient, outpatient, day treatment and availability and frequency of drug
testing at program, as well as degree of compliance and prognosis.
·
Submit to
random drug testing; the time and method of that testing shall be at the
discretion of DCF.
Time,
method and location of the testing and results. Note specifically any failure to
comply.
·
Follow
recommendation of service providers:
Name
of provider, service, recommendations and compliance.
·
Obtain
and/or cooperate with a restraining/protective order and/or other appropriate
safety plan as approved by the Department of Children and Families to avoid
future domestic violence incidents.
Type
of order [restraining/protective] obtained, from what court, and expiration
date; whether parent(s) has/have attended all subsequent hearings in connection
with the order to ensure that it remains in effect; and parent(s)’ compliance
with the terms of the order. Also address any other safety plan and parent(s)’
ability to comply with said plan.
Applications
for restraining orders require the applicant to fill out an affidavit. It would
be helpful to obtain a copy of that affidavit and attach it to your study.
Also
address parent(s)’ insight as to the effect domestic violence has on the
child(ren), parent(s) ability to protect child(ren) from the abuser, parent(s)’
willingness to enforce restraining or protective orders. Be specific as to
incidents of violations of the order.
·
Sign
releases authorizing DCF to communicate with service providers to monitor
attendance, cooperation and progress toward identified goals, and for use in
future proceeding before this court.
List
releases signed, and note any refusal to sign.
·
Secure and
maintain adequate housing and legal income.
Adequacy
and safety of housing, i.e., heat and electricity or the lack thereof; space
issues; appropriate furniture, especially bedding for each child; amount of food
and cleanliness of home; etc.
Type
of legal income, including TANF; amount and frequency of paychecks, etc. Also
identify monthly expenses, whether parent(s) income is adequate to meet the
expenses and whether he/she/they is/are able to appropriately manage
his/her/their finances.
·
No substance
abuse.
Discuss
why or why not you believe a parent has abused substances.
·
No
involvement/further involvement with the criminal justice system.
Charges,
crime convicted of, and sentence. Identify the conditions of probation and
compliance.
·
Cooperate
with the Office of Adult Probation and comply with conditions of probation.
Conditions
of probation and degree of compliance.
·
Accept and
cooperate with the applicable services offered by the Department of Corrections
and/or any of its correctional institutions.
Type
of services available at the prison, phone and mail privileges of the inmate,
whether the parent took advantage of services or privileges available to improve
his/her/their child(ren). Specify what the Department did to assist the
incarcerated parent(s) in identifying and accessing services.
·
Other:
List
all other specific steps ordered by the court
and information relevant to compliance or non-compliance for each.
Child(ren)
and Family Assessment:
Discuss the present circumstances of each family
member, if and how s/he has benefited from services, other major changes in
family members’ lives (such as a death or divorce), prognosis for change or
continued improvement in reasonable future.
Discuss child’s adjustment to placement, impact of
placement on child, education, behavioral issues, relationship with parents and
siblings, and any other factors, which are relevant to an assessment of what the
permanency plan should be.
Permanency
Plan:
Choose one of the following permanency plans:
·
reunification
with or without protective supervision
·
termination of
parental rights and adoption
·
transfer of
guardianship with or without subsidy and/or protective supervision
·
long term
foster care with identified relative
·
long term
foster care with other identified non-relative caregiver (this plan requires a
documented compelling reason why none of the first four plans is appropriate)
·
other planned
permanent living arrangement (specifically identify plan, such as independent
living. This plan requires a documented compelling reason why none of the first
four plans is appropriate)
State reasons for choice and link it to your
assessment of the parent(s)’ ability to provide appropriate care for the
child(ren).
Describe
all efforts made to achieve the permanency plan that has been in effect since
the last approval.
Concurrent
Plan
State
concurrent plan if prognosis for reunification within the next six (6) months is
poor.
Proposed
Guardian:
(if
applicable)
Name, relationship to the
child(ren), history with child(ren) and family, general description of home, support system, need for
services, understanding of the child(ren)’s needs and commitment to the
child(ren), relationship with parent(s), etc.
Recommendations:
It is
the recommendation of the Department that the court approve the above permanency
plan.
The
Department further recommends that the court find that the Department has made
reasonable efforts to achieve the current permanency plan.
Upon
consideration of the best interests of the child(ren), including the
child(ren)'s need for permanency, the Department further recommends that the
court make a finding that it is not
appropriate to continue to make reasonable efforts to reunify the child(ren)
with (name).
Upon consideration of the best interests of the child(ren), including the child(ren)'s need for permanency, the Department further recommends that the court make a finding that it is appropriate to continue to make reasonable efforts to reunify the child(ren) with (name). The Department further recommends that the court approve the attached Specific Steps to Facilitate the Child(ren)'s Return to the Custody of the Respondent, with the expectation that the parent(s) will complete said steps within the next six months.
The Department further recommends that the court make a finding that it is in
the best interest of the child
OR
The
Department further recommends that the court make a finding that the cause for
commitment no longer exists and that revocation of commitment is in the best
interest of the child(ren), and therefore, revoke the commitment of [child] and
return custody of said child(ren) to his parent(s) [with or without an Order of
Protective Supervision].
OR
The
Department further recommends that the court make a finding that revocation of
commitment and transfer of guardianship is in the best interest of the child(ren),
and therefore, revoke the commitment of [child] and transfer guardianship of
said child(ren) to [name of proposed guardian], who is/are [a] suitable and
worthy caretaker(s), [with or without an Order of Protective Supervision].
Submitted
By:
_______________________________________________
Social
Worker
Department
of Children and Families
Reviewed
By:
________________________________________________
Social
Work Supervisor
Department
of Children and Families
Program
Supervisor
Department
of Children and Families
Connecticut Department of Children and Families Effective Date: November 1, 2005 (Revised)
