Foster Stays Decline
After the Move to Greater Permanence organizational change was implemented, the median length of stay for youth in foster care declined from 5.5 years to 2.6 years.
Organizational change is the movement from current status quo to a different, more effective environment. As Casey shifted its focus from foster care to more permanent outcomes for children, they recognized that frontline practice had to change. In 2004, Casey Family Services, the Foundation's former direct services agency, transformed its entire culture and practice approach creating a “learning while doing” strategy to organizational change. The operational processes and lessons learned during that transformative time are captured in this report.
Organizational change upsets the status quo. The Learning While Doing model provided Casey Family Services with ample opportunities for candid conversation with staff about the behavior needed to support a learning organization.