State Advisory Council Post-Permanency Recommendations

The following recommendations were developed and approved by the State Advisory Council for Adoption and Permanency. The Council is a convening of state adoption and permanency directors and other public agency staff from 43 states assembled by Voice for Adoption to develop consensus-based federal recommendations on adoption and permanency issues affecting children and youth in foster care.

Post-Adoption and Post-Permanency Supports

Children and teens in foster care are disproportionately likely to have or experience special health care needs, learning disabilities, developmental delays, physical impairment, and mental health difficulties. Such challenges often persist after a child has been adopted or placed in another permanency arrangement.

These needs can be addressed by well-designed post-adoption and post-permanency services. Benefits of such services may include:

• Reduced adoption disruption and dissolution: Research has found that post-permanency services increase placement stability.

• Improved child well-being: Families who are able to access post-permanency services usually fare better than other families who cannot access such services.

• Improved parent recruitment and retention: The existence of such services can reassure prospective adoptive and guardianship families, which can make recruitment and retention of these parents easier.

• Potential budgetary savings: Previous research has found substantial budgetary savings for children who are adopted or have been placed in another appropriate permanency arrangement compared to children who remain in foster care.

The following consensus-based federal recommendations would help strengthen post-adoption and post-permanency services for these children and youth.

Recommendations

Funding

• Create Dedicated Funding for Post-Adoption and Guardianship Services: Establish a dedicated, flexible funding stream for states, tribes, and territories to provide comprehensive and tailored post-adoption and guardianship support services that address the unique needs of children and families.

  • Support additional flexible funding for permanent placement supports that can be used before or after finalization has occurred.

• Expand Title IV-E Eligibility Requirements to Support Post-Permanency Services: Expand the use of Title IV-E  to support post-adoption and guardianship services, recognizing the critical importance of continued support after permanency is achieved.

  • Expand eligibility for services funded under the Family First Prevention Services Act to include post-adoption and post-permanency services that are being evaluated under federal grants provided under Title IV-B or the Adoption Opportunities program.

  • Expand IV-E eligibility for guardianship subsidy by delinking from the 1996 AFDC income requirements for foster care IV-E eligibility.

• Provide Targeted Support for Families with High Needs: Provide states with additional funding or incentives to provide and/or develop post-permanency supports tailored to families with complex needs, including those with children who have significant behavioral health needs, developmental disabilities, or medical conditions.

• Increase Funding for Adoption and Legal Guardianship Incentive Payments: Support sufficient funding to fully fund adoption and legal guardianship incentive payments, ensuring that the necessary resources are available to encourage permanency for children.

  • Treat guardianships and adoptions equally with respect to formula-based payments and access to financial support.

• Allocate Title IV-B Adoption Funding to Guardianship Support: Modify Title IV-B, Subpart 2, to allow up to 20% of funds to be spent on adoption and guardianship support services, instead of limiting spending solely to adoption promotion and support.

• Provide Clear Federal Guidance on Subsidy Termination: Issue federal guidance on the circumstances under which adoption or guardianship subsidies should be terminated, ensuring consistency and clarity across states in their administration.

Supports

• Enhance Access to Mental Health and Behavioral Health Services: Increase funding and access to mental health and behavioral health services for children and families post-permanency. This should include incentivizing an increase in the number of mental health professionals with expertise in adoption and guardianship issues.

• Extend Medicaid Coverage Until Age 21: Establish a federal policy that authorizes Medicaid coverage for all youth who have adoption or guardianship assistance agreements until age 21, with the goal of guaranteeing continuous health care for children who have achieved adoption or guardianship with assistance agreements, particularly those with ongoing medical or mental health needs and eliminating coverage gaps.

Other Recommendations

• Promote Ongoing Communication between Families and Agencies: Incentivize mutual collaboration and consistent communication between post-permanency service providers, mental health agencies, Medicaid, schools, judicial systems, and families. This collaboration should ensure that families receive cohesive and ongoing support, regardless of the systems involved.

• Increase Rural Access to Post-Permanency Services: Improve access to post-permanency services in rural areas. Allow additional, targeted funding to address service gaps in these communities.

• Support Child Welfare Workforce Stability: Establish federal incentives to promote child welfare staff retention and enhance workforce stability.

Approved May 9 2025