District of Columbia
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Pre-Service Training

Pre-service training for foster and adoptive parents is a 30-hour training offered through the Child Welfare Training Academy, based on the New Generations PRIDE Model of Practice (NG PRIDE). The training is offered over five weeks with a combination of in-person and online training.  

Relative caregivers go through the Caring for Our Own curriculum. Some licensing workers may have kin complete NG PRIDE instead.  

Services Offered Through the State’s Post-Permanency Support Program

The DC Child & Family Services Agency (CFSA or the Agency) provides post-permanency services through its Permanency Specialty Unit (PSU).

Services include:

PSU staff are able to assess the family’s needs, make referrals to services, and provide support and counseling to help prevent disruptions during the family’s transition to adoption and guardianship. 

In some cases, PSU staff refer youth for individual therapy provided by the Agency. However, for most youth and families, therapeutic services are provided by community-based providers through referrals as outlined below. 

PSU staff are able to provide short-term support services to stabilize families during a crisis. Staff work with the families to find solutions to their challenges and then seek to connect them to appropriate services in the community, including mobile stabilization services and longer-term supportive services.  

Staff are available to answer questions about child development and parenting, make referrals to adoption-competent community-based services, and help families find or access services their children need. They also make connections to local adoptive and guardianship support networks. PSU staff can also help families access relevant trainings.  

In some cases, the Agency is able to provide funds to meet a family’s financial needs (such as when they are behind in rent or utilities due to illness or other crisis or when a child has damaged something in the home). 

A family support worker conducts adoption searches. This person has been appointed as an Intermediary by the Court who conducts adoption services.  

For more information, visit https://cfsa.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/cfsa/publication/attachments/Post-Permanency%20Services.pdf  

Geographic Area Covered

Services are available citywide. For families who are not in the Washington, D.C., area, the PSU supports the family and seeks to connect them to local services where they live. The PSU partners with the family’s local jurisdiction when they live out of state.  

Eligible Population for the Overall Post-Permanency Program

  • All families who adopted from the state’s foster care system

  • All families who have guardianship of a child from foster care.

Variations in Eligibility for the Post-Permanency Program

PSU may provide limited supports, such as information and referral, to families who adopt from outside the city.  

Outreach and Engagement

When families finalize their adoption or guardianship, the Adoption Subsidy Unit and the PSU share information about post-permanency services. They also post information on the Agency’s website, including a helpline number families can call.  

The annual subsidy renewal letters mention the availability of post-permanency support and sometimes include a separate document that outlines the services available.   

How the Post-Permanency Program Is Operated

  • Other (listed below):

    • By city staff 

Notes About Who Provides Which Service(s)

All services are provided by Agency staff. 

Adoption/Guardianship Assistance/Subsidy Review and Changes

CFSA reviews adoption subsidy agreements and guardianship subsidy agreements annually. Families receive a written questionnaire requesting information about the status of their child (such as changes in the family’s or child’s residence, school attendance, medical conditions, legal status, etc.). CFSA asks parents to provide a copy of the child’s school record (current report card), proof of medical coverage, and any medical reports documenting health changes if applicable. 

Any parent who is a party to an adoption subsidy agreement or permanent guardianship subsidy agreement may request in writing a review of the amount of any payment or the level of continuing payments, whenever the child has a changed medical condition. To request a review of the agreement, parents or guardians must send a written request specifying the reason for the request to the Adoption and Guardianship Subsidy Program. To verify the change in the child’s condition, parents must provide current medical documentation for the child from a qualified medical professional to support the request.  

 

Tracking Adoption/Guardianship Discontinuity

The Agency tracks re-entries for children who were adopted or in guardianship. When a family who has worked with PSU in the past has a child enter care, staff reach out to the family to offer supportive services. In some cases, PSU may also partner with child protective services to help support an adoptive or guardianship family that is facing allegations of abuse or neglect. 

Post-Permanency Program Spending (FY 2023)

Information not available (services are part of the division’s overall budget).

Funding Sources for the Post-Permanency Program (FY 2023)

Information not available.

 

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