Research project
Perspective in the process and outcomes of permanency planning
How do we decide on the long-term future of children placed in care in a valid, reliable, traceable and transparent way – together with parents and young people?
- Duration
- 2025 - 2026
- Contact
- Anouk Goemans
- Funding
-
BREN ZH
- Partners
BREN ZH
Children have the right to grow up at home with their parents. Sometimes, however, there are problems in or around the family that cause great stress and make growing up at home too unsafe or harmful for children. In such cases, out-of-home placement is unfortunately inevitable. Every year, almost 10,000 children are forcibly placed in care in the Netherlands. In these situations, the goal is always for the children to return home, provided this is safe and feasible. The question of where the best place is for a child to grow up – at home or elsewhere – is central when it comes to determining a permanency plan. This is often an emotionally difficult process involving uncertainty for children, parents and professionals. Despite the enormous impact of the permanency plan, there is still limited knowledge and substantiation about the way this is currently carried out, and there is no uniformity in its execution.
The research question is: ‘How do we determine a permanency plan for children placed in care in a valid, reliable, traceable and transparent way – together with parents and young people?’
The project will entail three separate studies:
- Experiential experts share their knowledge on how to determine a permanency plan.
- A literature study will identify existing knowledge and methods.
- Interviews with youth care institutions and care workers will provide insights into current practices.
The results will contribute to the professionalisation of youth care workers involved in this process. In addition, they will form the basis for the development of a new method for permanency planning.
The research project started in autumn 2025 and will run until the end of 2026.
The aim of this research project is to arrive at an improved and explicit procedure for permanency planning for children and families. The research outcomes will be translated and made applicable for the purpose of promoting expertise and professionalisation of workers involved in the field of permanency planning. This research will also provide indispensable input for the next step in the development and research into better permanency planning, namely the design of a new working method for permanency planning and research on this.