ASFA Goals: Safety, Permanency, Well Being
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) clearly and unequivocally establishes three national goals for children in foster care: safety, permanency, and well being. ASFA was in part “a response to the fact that more children were entering the foster care system than were exiting.” Five principles underlie the ASFA and apply to professionals working with families through public and private agencies as well as state courts. These principles are:
- Safety is the paramount concern that must guide all child welfare services.
- Foster care is temporary.
- Permanency planning efforts should begin as soon as the child enters care.
- The child welfare system must focus on results and accountability.
- Innovative approaches are needed to achieve the goals of safety, permanency, and well-being.
Click here to view documents from the 2007 CIP Conference. |
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Streaming Video and PDF Resources |
Click here for an introduction to the project from the sponsors—Emily Cooke at the Department of Health and Human Services and Kristen Kracke at the Department of Justice. |
5 min 13 sec |
Click here for a message on Achieving Timely Permanency with the Honorable Len Edwards |
11 min 55 sec |
Click here for a discussion of the need for Court Performance Measures by Gene Flango |
7 min 26 sec |
Click here for Gene Flango's brief description of how these Court Performance Measures were developed. |
3 min 58 sec |
Click here for a discussion of how to implement performance measures by Lisa Portune |
4 min 51 sec |
Click here for a discussion on Implementing the Measures with Timothy Travis and Nancy Miller |
17 min 48 sec |
Click here for a PDF document outlining the Essential Tools for Judicial Oversight |
266 KB |
To obtain additional information or assistance, please contact one of the partner organizations.
American Bar Association,
Center on Children and the Law
Mark Hardin, Esq., Director (202) 662-1750 |
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National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges,
Permanency Planning for Children Department
Nancy Miller, Director (775) 327-5300 |
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National Center for State Courts,
Office of the President
Victor E. Flango, Ph.D., Exec. Director
(757) 259-1823 |
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