Kentucky DCBS strengthened their ability to support adoptive and SPC families.

The Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) is better positioned to meet the needs of adoptive and Subsidized Permanent Custody (SPC) families after receiving on-site technical assistance from the Post-Adoption Center. Through enhanced training and professional development opportunities, DCBS staff and contracted child-placing agency personnel have gained a deeper understanding of the unique challenges these families face and are better equipped to provide informed, supportive guidance. This increased knowledge has strengthened DCBS’ ability to address critical issues that impact family stability, child well-being, and permanency outcomes.

In addition, collaboration between DCBS and community partners providing post-permanency services has been strengthened, supporting ongoing continuous quality improvement efforts and fostering shared accountability. This collaborative approach ensures that diverse stakeholders are actively engaged in identifying challenges, developing solutions, and implementing strategies that improve outcomes for children and families.

Kentucky DCBS recognized that limited post-permanency outreach often left families feeling isolated and unaware of available resources and services that could help them maintain healthy, stable family relationships. To address this need, Kentucky DCBS with support from the Post-Adoption Center, designed and implemented the Permanency Navigator Program as a proactive strategy to strengthen post-permanency support. The program promotes ongoing engagement with families, encourages help-seeking behaviors, and fosters enduring connections between families and service providers. By linking families to resources and supports before challenges escalate into crises, the Permanency Navigator Program helps prevent disruptions, strengthen permanency outcomes, and promote the long-term well-being of children and families throughout Kentucky.

Kentucky DCBS partnered with the Post-Adoption Center based on the belief that providing families with effective resources and support would strengthen family stability and reduce the need for out-of-home placements. At the time, existing post-adoption services were underutilized, and one program had shifted from its original purpose of promoting family stability to assisting families in pursuing out-of-home placements. Families were contacted annually to update subsidy information but otherwise received limited guidance in navigating community resources, often leaving them to identify and access supports on their own.

In response to these challenges, the partnership between Kentucky DCBS and the Post-Adoption Center played a critical role in strengthening the state’s capacity to support adoptive and SPC families before and after permanency was achieved. Through targeted training, strategic planning, program development, stakeholder engagement, and data-informed decision-making, the collaboration enhanced service delivery, expanded supports for families, and established a stronger foundation for preserving permanency and preventing family crises.

The partnership also fostered a culture of continuous quality improvement by leveraging data to guide decision-making, align resources with strategic priorities, and develop services that more effectively address the needs of permanency families. Collectively, these efforts strengthened Kentucky’s ability to improve long-term outcomes for children and families while reducing the risk of adoption and SPC disruption and dissolution.

Most importantly, this work helped shift the focus from achieving permanency to sustaining permanency. By equipping families, professionals, and community partners with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed for long-term success, Kentucky DCBS has strengthened its capacity to ensure that children and families continue to thrive well beyond the finalization of adoption or SPC. This investment in post-permanency supports reflects a commitment not only to creating permanent families, but also to helping those families remain strong, stable, and connected over time.