Which, if any, of these services is legally stipulated in state law? If any post-adoption services

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None of these services are contained in state statute.

E. Have there been significant cutbacks in post-adoption services or adoption subsidies in the state in the past 10 years? If so, please describe:

Kentucky has not had any cuts in the adoption assistance rates or the services provided to adoptive parents and children who are adopted.

V. In your state, are there noteworthy practice models or research reports related to adoption support and preservation that you could share with us?

A. Please describe practice models

ASK is an excellent model of a peer support and education for adoptive families. It provides many services broadly across the state and is highly evaluated by parent consumers. Also, the Post-Adoption Placement Stabilization Services (PAPSS) is a model program to stabilize at-risk adoptive families.

B. Significant findings of program evaluations or other post-adoption studies conducted in the State in the past 10 years

None except study cited under support programs.

C. Contact persons who could give us more information about noteworthy practice models or research and their phone number

ASK – Jessica Fletcher at 859-257-2134 PAPSS – Diane Underwood at 502-565-2147

VI. Please share any strategies that you have used to successfully advocate for post-adoption services in your state.

None noted.

VII. Does Your State Track Post-Adoption Instability?

LOUISIANA

RESPONDENTS: Barbara Mayes, Child Welfare Manager I Cheryl Barton, Child Welfare Consultant

Adoption/Home Development Program, Department of Children & Family Services

I. General Information (Background on State Service System):

 County-based vs. statewide system

Louisiana is a statewide system, which consists of nine regions. Within the regions there are a total of 64 parishes (counties); some of these parishes were consolidated.

 Uniformity of services across the state

DCFS is a centralized system. All policies, services and eligibility requirements are developed at the state office level (in accordance with federal/state regulations). Not all services are available in each region; however, families can access services in surrounding regions, as necessary. The state system’s current structure is two-fold: programs and operations. The Program Section is responsible for developing, implementing and clarifying policy for the front-line staff, community partners and providers. The Operations Section focuses on practice and procedures.

 Children on subsidy as of June 2013

As of June 2013, Louisiana had 5,157 children receiving adoption subsidies.

 Are public child welfare adoption workers expected to provide post-adoption services?

Yes. There is an adoption subsidy worker in each region assigned to handle post-adoption service for special needs adoptions; they provide information, when needed, to families requesting services.

II. Post-Adoption Services Funded by the State for Adoptive Families Information and Referral

Families are provided with information about community services prior to the adoption finalization. After the adoption is finalized, families can contact the regional adoption subsidy worker for assistance with referrals to community resources.

Educational Programs or Materials

The Louisiana Adoption Advisory Board (LAAB) is a coalition of adoption advocates serving Louisiana children. LAAB provides networking and educational opportunities for the adoption community.

The Louisiana Foster and Adoptive Parent Association hosts an annual conference for foster and adoptive parents. Adoptive families who are members of the association have opportunities to participate in DCFS- and community-sponsored trainings.

Support Programs

Community Resource Centers offer individual and family counseling to support foster and adoptive families. Also, the Louisiana Advocacy Support Team (LAST) is comprised of volunteer foster parents. They receive ongoing training that enables them to help other foster parents deal with allegations of abuse or neglect in the foster home.

Therapeutic Interventions

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providers. In the past, there were providers on contract to the state, but they were eliminate by reorganization and downsizing.

Gary Mallon of Hunter College has provided training for adoption and foster staff in a therapeutic model of treating foster and adopted children. There were a number of training events offered and some were open to community providers as well.

Public mental health services for children in Louisiana are administered by the Department of Health and Hospitals (Medicaid). Services include evaluations, family education and training, clinical intervention, periodic follow up, linkages to emergency mental health services in crisis situations, and psychological services. Magellan Behavioral Health (http://magellanoflouisiana.com) is now in the third year of managing and providing the therapeutic services for the state.

Advocacy

The Foster and Adoptive Parent Association and the Louisiana Adoption Advisory Board provide advocacy services for foster, adoptive and birth families. Also, LAST often serves as an advocate for foster parents and/or adoptive parents who continue to foster when abuse/neglect has been alleged.

Respite

Respite is included in the adoption subsidy; families are funded to access 25 days per year per child. Respite can be provided by certified foster/adoptive parents or other identified providers, as needed.

Also, many private organizations offer a variety of respite options.

Residential Treatment

 Does the state pay for residential treatment for children adopted from foster care? What is the process for obtaining this?

No. The family would be referred to the state-managed health care provider for any post-adoption psychological/behavioral services.

 If yes, what is required to obtain this? N/A

 Does the child have to re-enter state custody?

No.

Other Services

Voluntary Reunion Registry: This registry allows for any member of the adoption triad to register with the

state database for the purposes of matching or obtaining non-identifying information. Louisiana law requires that before providing information leading to a reunion, each person in the triad must have at least one hour of counseling with an approved and identified counselor. Subsequent to this, the information is shared with the counselor and in turn, they share the information with the triad member(s). This allows for all parties to have emotional support that may be necessary during reunion.

Special Service Subsidies is an additional service that Louisiana provides to meet the special pre-existing

needs of children receiving adoption assistance. Special Service Subsidies are authorized when no other resource or benefit, public or private, is available to meet the child’s anticipated need for a specific service(s). Service needs are assessed and documented by a specialist and should include treatment type, duration and cost. If it is determined that the child’s condition or circumstance make it difficult to predetermine treatment costs, service funding may be granted for an unspecified sum. Special Service Subsidy includes the following examples: prescription medication, physical or speech therapy,

Louisiana

psychiatric/psychological care, customized physical devices/equipment and training necessary to meet the particular needs of the child. Families can be eligible for maintenance and special services subsidy, maintenance only or special services only.

III. Qualifications for Post-Adoption Services

A. What are the eligibility criteria for receiving services?

If children qualify for an adoption subsidy, they would qualify for post-adoption services.

B. Under what circumstances, if any, are these services provided to children who were not adopted