{"report_id":28,"form_id":"18","user_id":160,"organization_id":39,"question_id":"386","question_type":"Free_Text","text_answer":"The subject child being in placement for 3 years, 9 months prior to adoption being finalized was influenced by complexity of cases for children who have been in OOHP, the amount of documentation, placing with relatives, and the ability of training to meet the needs of staff.  The complexity of these cases can create confusion of timelines for adoption finalization. Due to this complexity, agencies utilize support through consultation with other agencies, which may lead to misunderstandings and inconsistent practice regarding requirements of the licensing of families. Timelines for these cases are guided by statute and these statutory timelines may not be realistic for completing all aspects needed to finalize adoption. There are various influences contributing to the difficulty in meeting these timelines, including; the county attorney\u2019s workload, the need to have exact information for the completion of court documents, and other court processes such as CHIPS cases and trials taking precedence over other court cases. \r\n\r\nAnother factor that influences the perception that timelines may not be realistic is the size of DHS. It can be difficult to identify where to go for assistance when needed and after finding this, agencies may need to contact multiple program areas within DHS to move forward; adding time to adoption finalization. Additionally, staffing levels at DHS lengthen the time it takes to process background studies and social histories and sometimes, more time is needed to adjust information on the background studies, ultimately leading to the time it takes to finalize adoption. After this information is processed, there also exists legal constraints; incomplete information results in the need for court orders to be amended and permanency finalization cannot be completed until all information is accurate. Further supporting the perception that timelines may not be realistic.\r\n\r\nAn additional influence into the length of time it takes for adoption to be finalized is the fact that social history information doesn\u2019t automatically get pulled from SSIS, which results in workers having to manually locate this information. This information comes from many different sources; including other workers within the agency, as well as, other various medical, health, and educational records. Getting complete information from all of these sources can be difficult and it takes time depending on where this information is held. Pressure to place with relatives also exists at all levels of our system, which can influence the time it takes for adoption to be finalized (i.e. state statute, Judges, state and local levels). The time it takes to locate relatives, assess the ability to meet the child\u2019s needs, and navigate through the uniqueness that each family brings, can lengthen the time it takes in the overall effort to finalize adoption.\r\n\r\nFurthermore, in relation to adoption, trainings are broad and may not teach what needs to be completed on each case and, although trainings exist, local agencies are not always aware of when these trainings are offered by DHS. Specifically, trainings are typically focused on Northstar and paperwork duties. Often times, non-relative providers have had training and supports prior to receiving a placement and this may not be the case for relative providers. Because of this, relative providers may require more support during onboarding and throughout the placement.","created_by":160,"updated_by":160,"updated_at":"5\/3\/2021 11:35:35 am","created_at":"5\/3\/2021 11:35:35 am","id":3403}