At Court While the Goal Is Aduption Can It Change to Reunification Again?

Policy Transmission
Manual:	CP&P	Child Protection and Permanency	Effective Date: 12-06-2010
Volume:	Three	Example Direction
Affiliate:	B	Case Planning	Revised Date: 10-04-2021
Subchapter:	4	Example Goals
Issuance:	400	Case Goals

Purpose:

This issuance establishes policy and process related to Example Goals, which define and guide Division activities in its provision of services to each child and each family member open for services, and to guide activities toward the achievement of the child's permanent living organization.

Policy:

A) Generally

a) At the time of service delivery, select i of the following case goals for each child, and ane for each family member receiving services

a) Maintenance in Ain Home - Family Stabilization;

b) Reunification (Render Home); Note:  Selecting this every bit the principal goal requires y'all to select a secondary permanency goal and immediately begin to plan concurrently for reunification and an alternate permanent living arrangement for the kid. See CP&P-III-B-2-300 .

c) Adoption;

d) Kinship Legal Guardianship (KLG);

e) Independent Living;

f) Other Long-Term Specialized Intendance;

g) Individual Stabilization.

b) The example goal(s) is recorded in the New Jersey SPIRIT (NJS) computerized system, and pre-fills the CP&P Form 26-81 , Family Summary/Instance Plan, when printed.

B) Maintenance in Own Home – Family Stabilization

Select Family Stabilization as the goal for a child and his or her parents or caregivers when directing example direction activities and service provision toward:

a) Keeping a kid in his or her home (i.due east., with the person or persons with whom he or she usually resides, regardless of the child'due south biological or legal ties to that person or persons) when the circumstances do not necessitate removal from the home.

b) Keeping the kid in the dwelling house to which he or she was returned or placed following out-of-home placement, regardless of the child'southward biological or legal ties to the person or persons, when reunification with the parent(due south) has been ruled out.

C) Reunification

a) Select this instance goal for the parent(southward) and kid when the child is in whatever type of substitute care. Case activities are directed toward safely returning the child to, or placing the kid with, a parent when the circumstances necessitating out-of-dwelling placement have been resolved, and the parent has expressed an interest in, and displayed the willingness and ability to, care for the child, with back up services, if necessary.

i) Four sub-goals signal to whom the child will exist returned:

1. Reunification with parent from whom removed;

2. Reunification with other parent;

3. Reunification with relative from whom removed;

four. Reunification with family friend from whom removed.

ii) Examples of circumstances where Reunification may non exist the chief goal:

i. The parent(south) shows evidence of characteristics that are chronic and severely impede his or her ability to provide adequate care for the child, such as:

i) Chronic Psychosis;

two) Substance Employ Disorder;

iii) Developmental Disability;

iv) Astringent Personality Disorder.

2. The parent(southward) has killed or seriously injured a previous kid.

3. The parent(s) has had his or her parental rights to previous children terminated by the courts and the circumstances of the parent(s) have non changed.

four. The parent(s) has sexually abused a child, or immune a child to be sexually abused, and the parent(southward) has refused or failed to benefit from aid. (If at least one parent in the household is able to adequately protect the child, the prognosis for reunification is somewhat better.)

5. The parent(s) has a history of severe or chronic child neglect and has failed to use or benefit from social services or other appropriate aid.

vi. The parent(southward) has failed to implement or to cooperate with previous reunification plans.

7. The parent(southward) has shown a pattern of long term or repeated incarceration which resulted in placement of the kid.

8. The parent(s) places a kid in resource family care at birth and demonstrably lacks family or friends willing to rear the child.

ix. The kid has serious problems (medical/developmental disabilities, emotional difficulties) that the parent(s) tin can neither understand nor adequately cope with, despite professional efforts to improve parental intendance.

10. The kid is conspicuously and substantially abandoned past the parent(s), as in the case of a foundling (see CP&P-II-C-5-700 ), a Safe Oasis infant (run across CP&P-IV-C-5-100 ), or an infant left at the hospital following nascency (i.eastward., a "boarder baby").

D) Adoption

1) Adoption is the legal transfer of all parental rights and responsibilities from the birth and/or legal parent to another person who desires to presume those rights and responsibilities.

a) Select adoption as a goal when Maintenance in Ain Home - Family Stabilization or Reunification take been ruled out, considering:

i) Parents/relatives/family friends are unknown or cannot exist located;

ii) Parents/relatives/family friends are unable or unwilling to provide care and/or protection for the kid;

b) Adoption may exist selected every bit a instance goal at the fourth dimension of initial placement when:

i) The child is a Safe Haven baby.

two) The parent(s) has signed a CP&P Class 14-86 , Surrender of Custody and Consent for Adoption.

three) The parents are deceased, unknown, or cannot be located after the completion of a legal search. See CP&P-III-C-4-100 for policy on locating missing birth parents.

c) Adoption may be selected at the permanency hearing, which is non contingent upon the court's agreement with the plan.

i) NJS tip: The results of the permanency hearing must be documented in the Legal Status Window after the permanency hearing and independent of the adoption/permanency plan, which may be updated at a afterwards date.

d) The Adoption case goal is divided into half dozen sub-goals:

i) Adoption - Relative:  The child is to be adopted past a person(southward) to whom he or she is related by claret or wedlock/ceremonious union, with or without subsidy.

2) Adoption - Family Friend: This sub-goal refers to the child who is to be adopted by a family friend with whom the child has a pregnant emotional zipper, with our without subsidy.

3) Adoption - Foster Home:  The child is to be adopted by his or her resources family parents, who are not related by blood or wedlock/civil marriage.

iv) Adoption - Selected Home:  The kid is to be adopted past a family unit studied and approved by a licensed adoption bureau.

v) Adoption - Type of Placement Non Withal Decided: This sub goal must exist updated when the type of adoption placement is adamant.

vi) Adoption Complaint Investigation (ACI): For children placed by an entity that is not a New Bailiwick of jersey licensed adoption bureau. The court has ordered CP&P to bear an investigation and submit a report concerning the circumstances of the placement. (This goal may be used in KLG disruptions.)

1. NJS TIP:  The Rubber Measures report, "Adoption Goals (By Goal Type)," found under the Concurrent Planning category, identifies all children in an out-of-abode placement during the selected month with a goal of adoption. Children are grouped together past goal type.

E) Kinship Legal Guardianship (KLG)

1) N.J.Due south.A. 3B:12A-2 provides the following definition:  "Kinship legal guardian" ways a caregiver who is willing to presume care of a child due to parental incapacity, with the intent to raise the child to adulthood, and who is appointed the kinship legal guardian of the child past the court. This person shall be responsible for the care and protection of the child and for providing for the child's wellness, education and maintenance.

2) KLG is intended to be permanent and self-sustaining, as evidenced by the transfer of sure parental rights to the caregiver, while the parent retains the right to consent to adoption, an obligation to pay kid support, and the right to accept ongoing contact with the child. This case goal is only applicative to a child.

iii) Before the KLG decision tin be made for  a legally gratis kid or a kid placed with a not- kin caregiver, the approving of the Area Managing director is required. KLG sub-goals include:

a) Kinship Legal Guardianship with a relative - The kid is to exist placed permanently with a person to whom he or she is related past blood or spousal relationship/civil union who is licensed and with whom he or she has been living consistently for at to the lowest degree the last six (6) sequent months or nine (9) of the last 15 months.

b) Kinship Legal Guardianship with a family friend - The child is to be placed permanently with a family friend (non related to the kid by blood or marriage/civil union) who is licensed and with whom he or she has been living consistently for at least the final half-dozen (6) consecutive months or nine(ix) of the last 15 months, and who has a positive psychological or emotional relationship with the kid.

c) Kinship Legal Guardianship with a resource family parent - The child is to exist placed permanently with a resource family parent who is licensed and with whom he or she has been living consistently for at least the last vi (6) consecutive months or nine (9) of the last 15 months, and with whom the child has developed a positive psychological or emotional relationship.

F) Contained Living

1) The permanency goal of Contained Living is merely advisable for adolescents sixteen to 18 years of historic period, when there is admittedly no culling as follows:

a) Select the case goal of Contained Living when case activities are directed toward the achievement and maintenance of an adolescent in a living arrangement that allows him or her to eventually function on his or her own. Meet CP&P-VI-B-one-300 , Adolescent Services Toward Self-Sufficiency, and CP&P-Half-dozen-A-ii-200 , Independent Living.

b) Independent Living is simply applicable for an adolescent who is preparing for developed life and who meets all of the following criteria, with reunification with parents being ruled out past:

i) Prior and repeated failure of all reunification efforts;

ii) Family unit's refusal to cooperate with reunification efforts.

c) Adoption has been ruled out because:

i) The boyish is unable to emotionally attach to another family, as supported by professional evaluation.

two) The boyish has expressed an unwillingness to be adopted, either verbally or through failed adoption attempts.

3) The adolescent'south relationship to the nascency family unit is significant to his or her identity and well-being.

iv) No appropriate adoption homes are bachelor.

d) Kinship Legal Guardianship has been ruled out by:

i) Relatives and family friends who may exist involved in the adolescent's life are unable or unwilling to provide straight treat the adolescent.

2) Relatives and family friends refuse to cooperate with CP&P instance planning efforts.

iii) Searches and exploration of all resources have resulted in an apparent absence of extended family members and family friends.

four) Circumstances foreclose the boyish from returning to the person or persons with whom he or she resided at the time of receipt of a report, referral, or application for services.

five) No appropriate relative or family unit friend is able or willing to assume care of the adolescent.

vi) The adolescent rejects all other potential living arrangements.

e) The boyish is mature enough to take responsibility for him/herself.

f) The adolescent needs continued support (financial, emotional, etc.) to achieve the goal of independence.

g) The boyish received, or is participating in, life skills instruction.

h) All other example goals are inappropriate.

i) See CP&P-VI-A-2-200 , Independent Living Stipend  for policy, procedures and social work intervention required for Independent Living for an adolescent age xvi or older. See definition in N.J.A.C.10:133-ane.three.

G) Other Long-Term Specialized Care

1) For use in very rare cases for adolescents age 16 or older, this case goal is selected when instance activities are directed toward the placement or maintenance of a child in a long term, specialized care living organization. Only select this goal when no appropriate family is able or willing to care for, and meet the needs of, a child with a serious medical, physical, emotional, or mental disability, and the child will remain institutionalized because no less restrictive living arrangement can meet his or her needs for care and treatment. This case goal may be established for those few children who meet all of the following criteria:

a) The child has a severe physical, mental, or developmental inability;

b) The child resides in a long-term care setting; and,

c) The case goals of Reunification, Adoption, Kinship Legal Guardianship, and Independent Living take been ruled out.

H) Individual Stabilization

1) Only use this example goal for:

a) Parent(s) whose children have all been placed out-of-home and the permanent plan for every child of that parent is other than Reunification.

b) Older adolescents (i.eastward., young adults), historic period 18 to 21, who are in, or will soon be transitioned into, an independent living program or setting, who agree to proceed to receive services from CP&P, and for whom no other goal is appropriate. Meet CP&P-3-A-ane-500 , Services to Adolescents Age 18 to 21

I) Establishing the Instance Goal

one) Intervals

a) The Sectionalisation reviews the case goal of each kid and each family fellow member receiving services at regularly scheduled intervals, simply no less frequently than:

i. Once every half dozen months, at the asking of a family unit fellow member;

ii. Prior to the fifth calendar month internal placement review;

iii. During the tenth calendar month of placement, to prepare for the permanency hearing;

iv. When major changes in family circumstances occur (instance: child is placed out of home) which might bear upon the case goal.

1. Note:  Whenever a example goal is established upon order of the court, the judge establishes the case goal.

two) Time Frames for Reaching the Example Goal

a) The goals of Maintenance in Own Home/Family Stabilization, Reunification, KLG and Adoption should be accomplished inside one yr of the initial example programme or permanency hearing.

b) Choosing a Case Goal Through Instance Cess

i) Decide the example goal during the intake/assessment process within sixty (60) calendar days of consignment of the CPS report or CWS referral from Country Central Registry.

2) Concurrent Permanency Goal Required - For all children who enter placement with a primary goal of Reunification (i.eastward., return home), the assigned Worker immediately establishes a concurrent goal, and works simultaneously toward both Reunification and the alternate permanent plan for the child.  Run into CP&P-Three-two-300 Concurrent Permanency Planning

three) Written Assessment - The assigned Worker completes a written summary using the NJS Case Plan Window, which pre-fills onto the CP&P CP&P-Iii-ii-300 Concurrent Permanency Planning

3)Written Cess - The assigned Worker completes a written summary using the NJS Case Plan Window, which pre-fills onto the CP&P Class 26-81, Family Summary/Case Plan, indicating the case goal(south). Enter specific information about the family and family member relationships to the kid. See CP&P-III-C-6-100 , Family Summary/Case Plan, indicating the case goal(s). Enter specific information about the family and family member relationships to the child. Come across CP&P-3-C-6-100 , Instance Recording.

iv) Case Goal Option - The assigned Worker, the parent(due south), the out-of-home placement provider (if any), the kid (when advisable), and any other individual who is an interested party in the safety and well-being of the child, are encouraged to participate in the evolution of the instance goals.

one. The Family Part of the Chancery Segmentation of the Superior Court may establish one or more case goals by court lodge equally a result of the Child Placement Review (CPR) process. See CP&P-IV-A-3-200 , Review of Children in Placement. If CP&P or the parent(s) disagrees with the CPR Board recommendations, request a Summary Hearing.

v) Family Participation  - The Worker strongly encourages the family unit to participate in the case planning and goal setting process. Family date promotes appropriate case planning and the setting of the instance goal(due south), while maximizing opportunities for successful outcomes.

1. When domestic violence is alleged or nowadays, family participation may be affected. See CP&P-VIII-B-ane-100 , Domestic Violence, Section J, Decision Making, and Section Thousand, Case Planning.

ii. If the assigned Worker is not able to appoint the family unit, a example goal may be established without the parent'due south, relative'southward, or family friend'southward participation. Casework Supervisor or Local Office Manager approval of the case goal is required when one or more than of the following atmospheric condition are met:

3. The case goal is ordered by the court.

iv. The child's prophylactic, health, and/or development are endangered.

5. The kid is at take a chance of impairment.

6. The relative(s) and family friend(due south) are unwilling or unable to participate in the procedure.

7. The child, if old enough, is unwilling or unable to participate in the procedure.

8. The assigned Worker, Supervisor, LO Managing director or designee, Casework Supervisor, DAG and Child Placement Review Board concur that the parent(s), identified relative(s), and family friend(s) volition not be able to run into the child's basic needs, even with bachelor community and social service supports. Therefore, assessing these half-dozen basic areas of individual, family, and community functioning volition determine the well-nigh appropriate case goal, including:

vi) Prophylactic of the child;

vii) Risk of impairment to the kid;

viii) Health, development and educational needs of the child;

ix) Willingness of the parent(s), relative(s), or family friend(s) to provide care and protection;

x) Ability of the parent(s), relative(s), or family friend(s) to provide intendance and protection;

xi) Community and social service supports. See CP&P-II-C-2-200 , Intake Assessment.

c) Instance Goals for Children With Repeated Placements

i. In accordance with North.J.S.A. 30:4C-53.3(b), whenever a kid is placed over again after having returned habitation from placement, the Partition prepares a repeated placement plan which ensures the goals of rubber and permanency through either Reunification, Adoption, or KLG. If none of these goals are in the child's best interests, the Worker and Supervisor conference with the Casework Supervisor and Deputy Attorney General (DAG), to discuss:

one. The facts supporting why Reunification, Adoption, or KLG are not in the child's best interests;

2. The facts supporting how the new goal is in the child'south best interests;

3. Why the child was originally placed, the length of the original placement, as well equally why he or she is now re-entering placement;

iv. What efforts were made by both CP&P and the parent(south) to correct or eliminate the problem;

5. Whether connected efforts to work with the family will be successful within a reasonable time frame;

6. What efforts were made by CP&P to search for and/or contact  kin who were initially unavailable to treat the child, only whose circumstances may accept inverse.

i. If, afterwards discussing the case and reviewing supporting documentation, the Casework Supervisor has determined that there is sufficient reason to believe that an culling placement is more appropriate, the Casework Supervisor, Supervisor, and Worker develop a repeated placement plan for the kid, which includes a permanency plan. Run into "Repeated Placement Plan" in CP&P-III B-one-100, Case Plan.

2. The Worker documents the reasonable efforts to accomplish that plan and the compelling reason for choosing an alternative permanent goal in the NJS Instance Plan windows, to produce the CP&P Form 26-81 , Family Summary/Example Program. The programme is prepared within 30 days after the child re-entered placement and is valid for twelve months.

iii. If the child has been in placement for 15 of the most recent 22 months, the Sectionalisation must document an exception to the requirement to file for termination of parental rights.

d) Establishing Case Goals

i. A full general goal toward which CP&P services and intervention are directed is determined and documented in the assessment at the time of initial service delivery, within sixty (lx) agenda days of State Primal Registry assigning the CPS report to the Local Role for investigation, or assigning the CWS referral to the Local Role for response.

2. Appropriate goals for all children and families served by CP&P are outlined above. Concurrent planning is required, and a secondary (concurrent) goal must be selected, whenever a child is placed out of home with a master goal of "reunification." Run across CP&P-Iii-2-300 Concurrent Permanency Planning

Policy History:

· x.4.2021

· 12.6.2010

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Source: https://www.nj.gov/dcf/policy_manuals/CPP-III-B-4-400_issuance.shtml

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